| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 20, 2024 |
| Abstract: | In this talk, I will argue the thesis that rigorous, strongly reasoned psychotherapeutic practice rests, not only (and not always) on outcome research, but on many further equally, and in some cases more, secure epistemic foundations. In part 1 of the talk, based on currently well-established epistemological thinking, a ranking of the degree of certainty of propositions yielded by different knowledge sources, and thus the confidence with which we may believe and act upon them, is presented. Following the description of each knowledge source, an analysis of the degree to which it enters into the practice of psychotherapy is developed. In part 2, several further knowledge sources essential to psychotherapy that are difficult to rank are presented, as well as the confidence that can reasonably be placed in knowledge derived from these sources. |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. (2022). Beyond outcome studies: good psychotherapy rests on many secure epistemic foundations. New Ideas in Psychology, 67, 100950. 2. Gómez-Torrente, M. (2019). Logical truth. In E. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 3. Sakaluk, J., Williams, A., Kilshaw, R., & Rhyner, K. (2019). Evaluating the evidential value of empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs): A meta-scientific review. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128, 300-30 4. Simon, R. (2007). The most influential therapists of the past quarter century. Psychotherapy |
Archives
Presidential Address
Reconstructing Worlds Through Expressive and Mindful Art:
A Descriptive Psychology Perspective
Reconstructing Worlds Through Expressive and Mindful Art:
A Descriptive Psychology Perspective
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here to view the slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Charles Coté, L.C.S.W. |
| Date | September 19, 2024 |
| Abstract | In the Society for Descriptive Psychology 2024 Conference Presidential Address, we will explore how expressive and mindful art, particularly poetry, helps reconstruct personal worlds after loss. Inspired by Wallace Stevens and Gregory Orr’s “Poetry as Survival,” we examine how poetry interweaves language, emotion, and meaning to navigate grief and trauma. Through Descriptive Psychology, the talk will highlight how artistic practices foster resilience and healing. The presenter will combine theoretical insights with empirical research on the psychological benefits of artistic expression, emphasizing poetry as a space for reflection and catharsis, aiming to inspire clinical and scholarly application. |
| Related Papers |
1. From Therapeutic Factors to Mechanisms of Change in the Creative Arts Therapies: A Scoping Review Front. Psychol., 14 July 2021 Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings Volume 12 – 2021 2. Creative Arts Interventions to Address Depression in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Outcomes, Processes, and Mechanisms Front. Psychol., 07 January 2019 Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings Volume 9 – 2018 3. Art Therapy: A Complementary Treatment for Mental Disorders Front. Psychol., 11 August 2021 Sec. Health Psychology Volume 12 – 2021 4. Andrijauskas, Antanas. 2022. The Sources of the Psychology of Art and Its Place among the Disciplines That Study Art and Creativity. Arts 11: 96. 5.World Reconstruction in Psychotherapy Raymond M.Bergner, Ph .D. |
Developing Your Cultural
Competence as a Therapist:
A Descriptive Psychology Approach
Competence as a Therapist:
A Descriptive Psychology Approach
| Video | Click here to watch the video for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Fernand Lubuguin, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2023 |
| Abstract: |
Providing culturally competent psychotherapy calls for understanding the world view and way of life of clients in order to generate suitable individual case formulations and proper treatment plans. Three fundamental aspects of cultural competence are awareness (of one’s own critical personal characteristics), knowledge (of important considerations regarding clients), and skills (involved in implementing therapeutic interventions). A common approach for promoting culturally responsive treatment is to describe guidelines and recommendations according to group characteristics (pertaining to identity statuses such as race and ethnicity). In contrast, Descriptive Psychology provides perspectives and concepts for developing cultural competence that focus on individuals as unique persons. Several particularly applicable concepts will be described and applied. |
| Related Papers |
Making Buddhism Accessible to Westerners
| Video | Click here to watch the video for this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2022 |
| Abstract: | Mindfulness and mindfulness training are widely recognized techniques in psychotherapy. Mindfulness is a classic Buddhist concept and technique. A natural question is what other elements of Buddhism could be helpful in therapy, but the Buddhist literature is very difficult for most Westerners. “Awakened essence of mind,” “relatively vs. absolutely real,” or “everything is infused with emptiness,” and many others are virtually impenetrable. This presentation uses Descriptive Psychological formulations of action, appraisal, status and consciousness to make this language intelligible. The goals are: 1) Have articulations of several classic Buddhist concepts; and 2) To demonstrate a method of arriving at those articulations. |
| Related Papers |
1. Rinpoche, M. and Tworkov, H. (2019). In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying. Penguin Random House: New York. |
A City of Two Tales:
How Complex Communities Achieve
Resilience in the Face of
Overwhelming Threat
How Complex Communities Achieve
Resilience in the Face of
Overwhelming Threat
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
There are no supporting materials for this presentation. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2022 |
| Abstract: | For 3 years America has faced a pandemic, increasing environmental deterioration due to a warming planet, brutal invasions leading to refugee crises, and political leadership enhancing conflict between American sub- communities. The pandemic exposed our vulnerabilities, but also our innovations to preserve our communities. Conversely, strong political factions emerged to threaten democracy. How do complex communities respond to such threats? What practices are fundamental to doing so and what does Descriptive Psychology have to say about such practices? As a paradigm case, New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina will help us develop parameters to understand the achievement of community resilience. |
| References and Related Papers |
1) Graeber, David and Wengrow, David (2021). The Dawn of Everything. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition. |
A Descriptive Psychology
Perspective on Careers
Perspective on Careers
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view a PDF of the slides from this presentation. |
| Presenter | Lane Lasater, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2022 |
| Abstract: | This presentation examines the concept of “Lifework” as a central dimension of careers from three perspectives: a) How does one’s career actions reflect person characteristics, interests and background? b) What enduring patterns can be identified through a career? and, c) What is the personal significance of fulfilling one’s lifework? Utilizing Descriptive Psychology concepts, I identified central dimensions of Lifework, developed an interview schedule, and interviewed via Zoom five mid-to- late career members of the Society for Descriptive Psychology regarding their career processes and actions. From the interview information, I created retrospective career narratives illuminating themes, patterns and meanings in each person’s “Lifework.” |
| References |
1. American Psychological Association, Inc. (1984) “The Boulder Model of Clinical Psychology: History, Rationale, and Critique.” Professional Psychology Research and Practice, 1984, Vol. 15, No. 3, 417-435. 3. Chen, C. P. “Convergence of Perspective on Career Development” Journal of Vocational Education and Training, Vol. 50, No. 3, 1998. 4. Cochran, L. (1990) “The Sense of Vocation: A Study of Career and Life Development” (Albany: State University of New York Press). 5. Fowers, B. J. (2012a). An Aristotelian framework for the human good. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 32, 10-23. 17. Ossorio, P.G. and Schneider, L. S. (1982) “Decisions and Decision Aids” LRI Report No. 31 |
Descriptive Psychology as
Therapy for Therapies
Therapy for Therapies
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | There are no available slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 1, 2022 |
| Abstract: | Peter Ossorio famously said, “Promise them anything but give them behavior potential” as a starting point for understanding the relationship of the formal subject matter of Descriptive Psychology (DP), The Person Concept, to the theories and practices that constitute psychotherapy. Although there are therapeutic approaches and ways of talking characteristic of the DP community, there is no Descriptive Psychology branded therapy, nor should there be. Instead, DP’s Person Concept provides a framework for comparative psychotherapy. That said, Peter Ossorio and Ray Bergner have systematically described policies and practices –– deliberately compatible with the Person Concept –– that are paradigmatic examples of how a person, deeply and competently informed by DP, might conduct non-eclectic psychotherapy grounded in pragmatics rather than theory. |
| References |
1) Bergner, R. (2006). The many secure knowledge bases of psychotherapy. |
The Time is (Probably) Ripe for Change: Moving Descriptive Psychology into the Mainstream
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here here to view a PDF of this presentation’s slides. |
| Presenter | Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D.  |
| Date | September 29, 2022 |
| Abstract | Of late, there have been significant changes in the practices of ‘mainstream’ psychology, including a greater emphasis on: a) using better statistical tools correctly; b) openness and transparency; and c) coherent theoretical approaches. Accordingly, although one can never know with certainty when a discipline is ripe for change, there are indications that this is an opportune time for Descriptive Psychology to push into the mainstream. I will describe, and invite input on, my three-pronged strategy for facilitating DP’s move into the mainstream. At every opportunity: 1) Demonstrate the benefits of conceptual investigation; 2) Teach the basics to university students; 3) Use the maxims publicly.d |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. M. (2017). What is a person? What is the self? Formulations for a Science of Psychology. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 37, 22-90. 2. Maxwell, N. (2017). In praise of natural philosophy: A revolution for thought and life. McGill-Queen’s Press-MQUP. 3. Muthukrishna, M., Henrich, J. (2019) A problem in theory. Nature Human Behavior, 3, 221-229. 4. Newby-Clark, I. R., & Thavendran, K. (2018). To daydream is to imagine events: Conceptual, empirical, and theoretical considerations. Theory & Psychology, 28(2), 261-268. 5. Nosek, B. A., & Bar-Anan, Y. (2012). Scientific utopia: I. Opening scientific communication, Psychological Inquiry, 23, 217-243. 6. Ossorio, P. G. (1975). What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 7. Ossorio, P. G. (2006). The behavior of persons. Descriptive Psychology Press. 8. Simmons, J. P., Nelson, & L. G., Simonsohn, U. (2011). False-positive psychology: Undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis allows presenting anything as significant. Psychological Science, 22, 1359-1366. |
Sexual Significance
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2022 |
| Abstract: | On a late-night talk show, Bette Davis once asserted that “most sex is not about sex.” In this presentation, using Anscombe’s significance ladder, I will first articulate the concept of “Significance”, and then develop a listing of a number of different significances that sexual intercourse can have. Several of these will be discussed in detail. |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. (2005). Lovemaking as a ceremony of accreditation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 31: 1-8. 2. Bridges, A., Bergner, R., & McInnis, M. (2003). Romantic partner’s use of pornography: Its significance for women. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 29, 1-14. 3. Bergner, R. (2002). Sexual compulsion as attempted recovery from degradation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 373-387. 4. Bergner, R., & Bridges A. (2002). The significance of heavy pornography involvement for romantic partners: Research and clinical implications. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 198-206. 5. Bergner R, & Bergner L (1990). Sexual misunderstanding: A descriptive and pragmatic formulation. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 27, 34-38 |
Presidential Address:
Descriptive Psychology in Everyday Life
Descriptive Psychology in Everyday Life
| Video | Click here to watch this video presentation. |
| Slides | There are no additional slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | David Bender, Ph.D.
|
| Date | September 29, 2023 |
| Abstract: | Given that Descriptive Psychology provides access to all the facts and possible facts concerning persons and their behavior, ordinary daily living and the challenges people face, therefore, can be brought into the light of understanding. This presentation will make use of DP methodology, one heuristic, and a number of principles and slogans to demonstrate the utility of Descriptive Psychology in accomplishing an assortment of tasks in daily living. A new, yet an old, paradigm case of sexual behavior will be presented. Spiritual direction will be illuminated, and finally an approach to assisting the poor will be explained. |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. M. (2017). What is a person? What is the self? Formulations for a Science of Psychology. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 37, 22-90. 2. Maxwell, N. (2017). In praise of natural philosophy: A revolution for thought and life. McGill-Queen’s Press-MQUP. 3. Muthukrishna, M., Henrich, J. (2019). A problem in theory. Nature Human Behavior, 3, 221-229. 4. Newby-Clark, I. R., & Thavendran, K. (2018). To daydream is to imagine events: Conceptual, empirical, and theoretical considerations. Theory & Psychology, 28(2), 261-268. 5. Nosek, B. A., & Bar-Anan, Y. (2012). Scientific utopia: I. Opening scientific communication, Psychological Inquiry, 23, 217-243. 6. Ossorio, P. G. (1975). “What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 7. Ossorio, P. G. (2006). The behavior of persons. Descriptive Psychology Press. 8. Simmons, J. P., Nelson, & L. G., Simonsohn, U. (2011). False-positive psychology: Undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis allows presenting anything as significant. Psychological Science, 22, 1359-1366. |
Making “What Actually Happens” Accessible
| Video | Click here to watch the video for this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2023 |
| Abstract: | Ossorio’s formulation of the real world is unique: the first, and only, precise, systematic articulation of the concept of the real world. It is also the least understood of the foundational formulations of Descriptive Psychology. The goal of this presentation is to make that articulation accessible to Descriptive Psychologists and anyone interested in the profound relationship between persons and worlds. That relationship underlies the necessity of multiculturalism, the multiple worlds of organizations, consciousness, and the profound difficulty of communication between truly different cultures. Further, it highlights areas of inquiry virtually unexamined by Descriptive Psychologists, including the body, art, and music. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P.G. (1978). “What Actually Happens”: The representation of 2. Ossorio, P.G. Place (2012). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Jeffrey, H. J. (1998). “Consciousness, Experience, and a Person’s World”, 4. Ossorio, P. G. (2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: 5. “Logic and Ontology,” particularly Sec. 3, “Ontology,” Stanford |
The Alien and the Earthling:
Status Dynamic Role Play Therapy with Children
Status Dynamic Role Play Therapy with Children
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
There are no supporting materials for this presentation. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2023 |
| Abstract: | At the 2008 Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology, I presented a Descriptive Psychology formulation of the significance of play in the development of children.The presentation was subsequently published as Children’s Imaginative Play in volume IX of Advances in Descriptive Psychology (2010). Therapeutic role playing with children was briefly described near the end of this article. I wrote: “A more formalized version of the use of imaginative play to help children reassign statuses and reconstruct their worlds is play therapy with children and more specifically role playing therapy with children. Role playing involves setting up scenarios within the play therapy setting and having these scenarios be versions of what the child is struggling with outside the play room. By trying on different statuses and acting as a self assigner of these statuses, a child in play therapy can experience increased behavior potential and then take that ‘act’ on the road, into Our world.” This presentation will be a more in depth exploration of this role playing approach. By virtue of a case study, the variety of ways to introduce and set up a role play and the status dynamic approaches the therapist employs to enhance the behavior potential of young clients will be illustrated. |
| References and Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R.M. (2007). Status dynamics: An enriching path to therapeutic |
What Does It Mean To Be Mistaken
About Behavior Potential
About Behavior Potential
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenters | Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D. |
Grace C. Colp, B.A.  |
| Date | October 1, 2023 |
| Abstract | In this talk, we explore the powerful, complex, and fascinating concept ‘behavior potential.’ We first consider aspects of behavior potential—including the idea of a person’s behavioral possibilities, the correlative of Reality (reality constraints), and a person’s status. We then introduce the usefulness of considering the ‘thinness’ and ‘thickness’ of behavioral possibilities. Next, we explicate the utility of tautologies in science—a foreign idea to many—before going on to illustrate the utility of the behavior potential tautology, “a person will always choose more behavior potential over less behavior potential.” We then consider what it might mean to say that someone is mistaken about his/her or another’s behavior potential. In particular, we discuss the difference between ‘known unknowns’ and ‘unknown unknowns.’ In that context, we explore the different kinds of mistakes about behavior potential that actors, observers, and critics could or do make. Along the way, we tie in relevant findings from work in social psychology, and judgement and decision-making, including the problem of bystander intervention, the Sunk Costs Fallacy, and the Planning Fallacy.d |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. M. (2016). What is behavior? And why is it not reducible to |
Preparation for Descriptive Psychology:
Conversations with Ossorio on Reading Wittgenstein
Conversations with Ossorio on Reading Wittgenstein
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | There are no supporting materials for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2023 |
| Abstract: | In an early meeting with Ossorio, I asked what might assist my understanding Descriptive Psychology. He suggested Wittgenstein. During Wittgenstein’s life, he published one book, the 1921 Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, dying before the 1953 publication of his second, the Philosophical Investigations. The Tractatus starts with “The world is all that is the case.” The Tractatus asserts “The world is the totality of acts, not of things,” and “What is the case—a fact—is the existence of states of affairs.” In my reading, a prime mission of the Investigations was amending and expanding the concept of World. So, I read, and we discussed what was at stake for Wittgenstein as he assembled a methodology of reminders and maxims in the service of describing the fully connected but irregular terrain of language and world; that “there is not a single philosophical method, though there are indeed methods, different therapies, as it were.”. This reading and discussing prepared my encounter with The Person Concept. Some of this I’d like to share. |
| References |
1. Wittgenstein, L. (1999). Tractatuslogico-philosophicus (C.K.Ogden,Trans.). Dover Publications. 2. Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical investigations. Philosophische Untersuchungen. New York: Macmillan. 3. Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Ossorio, P. G. (1975). “What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. 5. Ossorio, P. G. (1998). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 6. Schwartz, W. (2019). Descriptive psychology and the person concept: Essential attributes of persons and behavior. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press. |
A Descriptive Take on Mindfulness
| Video | Click here to view this presentation. |
| Presenter | Walter Torres, Ph.D.  |
| Date | October 1, 2021 |
| Abstract |
Mindfulness, or mindfulness meditation, as a practice and a |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Navigating the Last Chapters of Life
| Video | Click here to watch this video presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Laurie Bergner, Ph.D.
|
| Date | September 29, 2023 |
| Abstract: | The last chapters of life are a challenge! As people get into their 70s, they are faced with the reality of the finality of their lives, and the limits of life feels like it is fast approaching. How do people adjust to this reality and to the profound changes in their lives that this reality brings up? One could say that our world changes, and this changes us. How does our world change, and how do we deal with these changes? Old age involves many losses, so how do people navigate the changes needed to adjust to these losses? Are there possible gains to offset the losses? This presentation will look at the last chapters of people’s lives and how people navigate, or attempt to navigate, this challenging time of life. |
| Related Papers |
1. Levinson, D. J. (1978). Seasons of a Man’s Life. New York: Random House 2. Sheehy, G. (1976). Passages: predictable crises of adult life. New York: Dutton 3. Bergner, R. (2010). The Tolstoy dilemma: A paradigm case formulation and some therapeutic interventions. In K. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 9, pp. 143-160). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Warren B. (2012.) The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing. Proc (Baylor Univ. Med Cent). Jul;25(3): 299–300. PMCID: PMC3377309 5. “Optimizing aging: A call for a new narrative. By Diehl, Manfred, Smyer, Michael A., Mehrotra, Chandra M. American Psychologist, Vol 75(4), May-June 2020, 577-589. 6. “Loneliness, Loss and Regret: what getting old really feels like – new study.” By Carr, Sam and Fang, Chao. The Conversation, September 8, 2021. |
A Relationship View of the Person Definition
| Audio | Click here to watch this video presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | C. J. Stone |
| Date | September 23, 2012 |
| Abstract: | Ossorio stated two versions of the Person definition: “an individual whose history is, paradigmatically, a history of Deliberate Action in a dramaturgical pattern”; and “an individual whose history is, paradigmatically, a history of engaging in the Social Practices (SP) of a community.” To engage in an SP is to give, receive, or refuse a status assignment. Thus, “A Person is an individual whose history is, paradigmatically, a history of giving, receiving, or refusing the Statuses of a community.” Further, a status says how X is to be treated, and how X is expected to treat us. Thus, a status is assigning a set of relationships between us and X. Expressing the Person definition in those terms: an individual whose history is, paradigmatically, a history of engaging in the Relationships of a community. Pathology is a significant restriction in engaging in the Relationships of a community. For therapy, if persons should be able to love, work, and play, then these are core relationships. Looking at which relationships in each category are not working well, are being avoided, are being handled well, and so on, may give a map of useful changes for any particular person.. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
The ‘Persona’ Concept:
A Descriptive Take on Social Learning Theory and Role Development in the Behavior of Persons
A Descriptive Take on Social Learning Theory and Role Development in the Behavior of Persons
| Video | Click here to watch this video presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Erol Zeybekoglu, Psy.D. |
| Date | September 19, 2019 |
| Abstract: | This presentation will use Descriptive Psychology concepts and methods of formulation to take a fresh look at Social Learning Theory, which emphasizes the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Maxims relevant to individual and social behavior, deliberate action, motivational weights and reasons, and use of the Judgment Diagram, are shown to provide a more complete account of what actually happens in instances of social learning through observation, adding to Bandura’s list of mediational processes that separate stimuli and responses in the acquisition of learned behavior. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Cinderella’s Slipper:
Exploring the Concept of “Fit” in
Couple Relationships
Exploring the Concept of “Fit” in
Couple Relationships
| Video | Click here to watch this video presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Laurie Bergner, Ph.D.
|
| Date | September 30, 2021 |
| Abstract: | As Dr. Pete Ossorio once said, when it comes to how good romantic relationships are or will be, it’s all about “selection, selection, selection.” In discussing couples’ issues, clinicians often focus on personality deficits in one or both individuals. But in my clinical work with couples, I have often found that rather than personality deficits, the core problem may be that they are simply a bad fit in some important ways. It’s a different way of clinical thinking about the issues that couples present with, but it’s actually something that we implicitly understand and utilize in ordinary usage. In this presentation, I will explore the concept of “fit” in couples’ relationships. First, I will look at the definition – or lack thereof – of the concept. I will follow with discussing how and why an initial good fit can become less good, or even bad, over time as a relationship develops. Then I will present a paradigm case of a relationship with good fit and discuss the varied elements that go into fit, discussing how weighting of these varied elements affects the importance (impact) of different kinds of poor fit. I’ll follow with examples of common differences in fit, and consider what can compensate for different kinds of lack of fit. Finally, I will discuss how clinicians can use this concept in work with couples. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this publication. |
Shared Language for Shared Work
| Video | Click here to view this presentation. |
| Presenter | C.J. Peek, Ph.D.  |
| Date | October 3, 2021 |
| Abstract | It takes streams of effort converging from many different quarters to accomplish big things—healthcare and social justice being just two examples. In both cases, people from different disciplines, perspectives, identity, skillset, or sensibility are brought together in shared work. A start to making that possible is good enough shared language rather than constant quibbling about what things mean and whose language is better. Two examples from 2020 2021 were amplified by the COVID pandemic and civil unrest over racial justice: Accelerated effort to 1) improve “population health” and 2) achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion in medical institutions. A practical task is to achieve good enough shared language—intellectual frameworks—to enable people to move forward together in shared work with less confusion, ambiguity, and conflict than before. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Getting in on (the) ACT
from a DP Perspective
from a DP Perspective
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here to view the slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Charles Coté, L.C.S.W. |
| Date | October 2, 2021 |
| Abstract | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, also known simply as ACT, has become one of the fastest growing, “evidence-based,” popular and accepted approaches to psychotherapy. This presentation will provide an overview of ACT, focused particularly on its conceptualization of psychological flexibility and related applicability for therapy, followed by a discussion of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Functional Contextualism (FC), comparing it to DP concepts. |
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1. Bach, P., Moran, D. J. (2008). ACT in Practice: Case Conceptualization in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. Oakland, CA. New Harbinger. 2. Ossorio, P. G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. 5. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Gaudiano, B. A. (2011). A review of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and recommendations for continued scientific advancement. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice: Objective Investigations of Controversial and Unorthodox Claims in Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, and Social Work, 8(2), 5–22. 4. Hayes, S. C. (2004). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Relational Frame Theory, and the third wave of behavioral and cognitive therapies. Behavior Therapy, 35, 639-665. 5. Puttman, A. O. (2012). When Worlds Collide: Origins of Intractable Value Problems. Presentation to the Society of Descriptive Psychology. 6. Ossorio, P. G. (1977). Personality and Personality Theories. Boulder, CO. Whittier, CA. Linguistic Research Institute. 7. Hayes, S. C., Law, S., Assemi, K., Falletta-Cowden, N., Shamblin, M., Burleigh, K., Olla, R., Forman, M., & Smith, P. (2021). Relating is an Operant: A Fly Over of 35 Years of RFT Research. Perspectivas Em Análise Do Comportamento, 12(1). 8. Torres, W. J., & Bergner, R. M. (2012). Severe public humiliation: Its nature, consequences, and clinical treatment. Psychotherapy, 49(4), 492–501 9. Berner, R. M. (1998). A Therapeutic Approach to Destructive Self-Criticism. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, pages 249-273. 10. Berner, R. M. (2007). Status Dynamics: Creating New Paths to Therapeutic Change. Ann Arbor, MI. Burns Park Publishers. 11. Bergner, R. M. (2010). What is Descriptive Psychology? An Introduction. Illinois State University. 12. Wilson, K. G., Follette, V. M., Hayes, S. C., & Batten, S. V. (1996). Acceptance theory and the treatment of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. National Center for PTSD Clinical Quarterly, 6(2), 34-37. 13. Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25. 14. Hayes SC, Brownstein AJ. (1986). Mentalism, behavior-behavior relations and a behavior analytic view of the purposes of science. The Behavior Analyst, 9, 175–190. |
Why Self-Concepts Are So Resistant to Change: Analysis and Clinical Implications
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 1, 2021 |
| Abstract: | In this talk, I will (1) review Peter Ossorio’s unique formulation of the self-concept; (2) present some logical and empirical justifications for preferring this formulation to existing alternatives; (3) explain, based on this, why self-concepts tend to not change in the face of what would seem to be disconfirming evidence; and (4) describe some therapeutic approaches to modifying self-concepts that are based on Ossorio’s view and that avoid many of the pitfalls inherent in mainstream approaches to this endeavor. |
| Related Papers |
Teaching Descriptive Psychology During the Time of COVID: What Concepts Proved Serviceable?
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | There are no supporting materials for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 3, 2021 |
| Abstract: | Spring semester 2020 and 2021, I taught Case Studies in the Lives of Persons to a large group of international and multicultural undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard University. Employing Ossorio’s “Person Concept” and the concepts and methods from various descriptive psychologies, participants constructed a psychological autobiography informed by socially negotiated observer-critic feedback. When mid-semester 2020 the pandemic struck, our focus changed to an examination of how this global circumstance affected our lives. This pivot was especially relevant for students in a period of transition, with its normal uncertainties, suddenly intensified by fears of infection, the shutdowns, social distance, masking, Zoom, etc. In effect, the pandemic provided an opportunity to test what descriptive psychological tools are readily serviceable for understanding and navigating an unexpected time of uncertain duration. Agency culture, the social practices of degradation and accreditation, the through-line concept, Kubovian strands, and the nine foundational maxims proved particularly useful. |
| References | Schwartz, W. Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept: Essential Attributes of Persons and Behavior. Cambridge, MA and London UK: Academic Press-Elsevier, 2019. |
Looking for Superman in Dangerous Worlds: Descriptive Psychology Explains Conspiracy Communities
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here to view the slides for this presentation | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 23, 2011 |
| Abstract: | On January 6th, 2021, several hundred American citizens stormed the US Capitol. Provoked by recent conspiracy thinking that the election would be rigged or stolen by Democrats and years of beliefs that tyrannical forces controlled the US government, these citizens violently overwhelmed Capitol police and searched for politicians to “try” for treason. Conspiracy theories are not only associated with particular world views, but also with statuses, social practices, locutions and choice principles. In short, many persons who believe a particular conspiracy world view can be described as a member of a conspiracy community. I will examine the impact of conspiracy theories by using the formal parameters of the Community concept developed by Anthony Putman and by focusing on paradigmatic conspiracy communities associated with the Capitol violence. |
| References and Related Papers |
Bergner, R.M. (2007). Status dynamics: An enriching path to therapeutic change. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Berkowitz, Reed (2020); A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon: Cohn, Norman (1970). The Pursuit of the Millennium: Revolutionary millenarians and mystical anarchists of the middle ages.Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. Demby, Gene. (2021, January 15,). When White Extremism Seeps Into The Mainstream.Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/01/15/957421470/when-white-extremism-seeps-into-the-mainstream. Gavin, Sara (2021) Researchers Track QAnon Crimes, Find Links to Past Trauma. Division of Research, University of Maryland. Retrieved from https://spac.umd.edu/news/story/researchers-track-qanon-crimes-find-links-to-past-trauma. Jeffrey, H.J. (2020); “Having Black-White Conversations Go Right.” Presentation at the 42nd annual conference of The Society for Descriptive Psychology, October 2, 2020. Kantor, C. (2013). We’re off to see the wizard: Politics, charisma, and community change. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10, (pp. 129-148). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Kaufman, Frederick (2020, May 13); Pandemics Go Hand in Hand with Conspiracy Theories. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/pandemics-go-hand-in-hand-with-conspiracy-theories. Merlan. Anna (2019). Republic of lies: American conspiracy theorists and their surprising rise to power. Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition. Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Previously published as Ossorio, P.G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. V). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Ossorio, P.G. (1997). Essays on Clinical Topics. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. II). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Ossorio, P. G. (1982/1998/2012). Place. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. Previously published as Place:The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. III. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 30a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute. Peek, C. J. & Heinrich, R. (2006). Playing the Person Game in Healthcare. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8, (pp. 267-324). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Pew Research Center (2020, November 16). 5 facts about the QAnon conspiracy theories. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/16/5-facts-about-the-qanon-conspiracy-theories/ Putman, A.O. (1990). Organizations. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 11-46). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Putman, Anthony O. (1981). “Communities”. In Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 1). Edited by Keith E. Davis. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. QAnon And Conspiracy Theories: An American Political Tradition; Meet The Press Reports. NBC News (2021, April 4). Retrieved from https: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ift5nxcSrII. Roberts, M.K. (2010). Worlds of Uncertain Status. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9, (pp. 287-319). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. Roberts, M. K. (1985). Worlds and world reconstruction. In K.E. Davis and T.0. Mitchell (Eds.) Advances in descriptive psychology, Vol. 4. Ann Arbor, Ml: Descriptive Psychology Press. Schmeink, Lars (2016); The Utopian, the Dystopian, and the Heroic Deeds of One. In Biopunk Dystopias: Genetic Engineering, Society and Science Fiction, Liverpool University Press, (pp. 179-199). Schwartz, Wynn (2019); Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept : Essential attributes of persons and behavior, Academic Press. Scott, J. C. (2009). The Art of Not Being Governed: An anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Snyder, Timothy (2021, January 9); The American Abyss. The New York Times Magazine .Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/magazine/trump-coup.html. Thompson, Stuart (2021, January 26); Three Weeks Inside a Pro-Trump QAnon Chat Room. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/26/opinion/trump-qanon…gton-capitol-hill.html action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage. Tiffany, Kaitlyn (2020, October 28); This Will Change Your Life: Why the grandiose promises of multilevel marketing and QAnon conspiracy theories go hand in hand. The Atlantic. Retrieved from Https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/10/why-multilevel-marketing-and-qanon-go-hand-hand/616885/ |
What’s Going on between Clarence Thomas and Humiliation?
An Analysis of Opinions, Actions, and Personal History, with the Assistance of the Four Ingredient Model of Humiliation
| Video | Click here to view this presentation. |
| Presenter | Walter Torres, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 1, 2023 |
| Abstract | Utilizing Torres and Bergner’s four-ingredient model of humiliation, biographical information, and analyses presented in Supreme Court opinions, the relationship between Clarence Thomas and humiliation is analyzed; psychological bases for its development are postulated. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Understanding and Applying the Concept of Psychological Trauma
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ralph Wechsler, Ph.D. |
| Date | Aprile 30, 2021 |
| Abstract: | This presentation presents a general model of trauma applicable to physical and psychological injuries, comparing and contrasting traumatic physical injuries with psychological trauma. With this model, grounded in Descriptive Psychology, clinicians will be able to help traumatized people see what changes have occurred in their World Concept and Self-Concept, providing them with essential conceptual tools to help them realize that it is these conclusions and assumptions that have made their lives highly problematic. The model provides a way for people with PTSD to explain themselves, promoting deeper understanding, empathy, and compassion from their loved ones, resulting in more effective support. The workshop will include an experiential exercise involving a paradigm case of psychological trauma, which will provide practice using the formal concepts presented in the workshop. |
| Related Materials |
Presidential Address: Applying Descriptive Psychology to the Treatment of Psychological Trauma |
Running across the US: Using DP Concepts to Understand Extraordinary Behavior
| Audio | Click here to listen to this presentation. |
| Supplementary materials | Click here for Dr. Sidman’s accompanying paper, which also includes the slides he discusses during his presentation. |
| Authorization | Please note that Dr. Sidman received permission from the subject of this talk to have the audio presentation posted on this website, without deletions. |
| Presenter | Jacob Sidman, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 24, 2011 |
| Abstract: | A young man, Ryan, has chosen to run across the U.S. at a rate of about 30 miles per day from a beach in Santa Cruz, CA, to a beach in Ocean City, MD. While feats of extraordinary behavior often provoke speculation and the desire for oversimplified explanation, the presenter will instead show how a full description of such behavior—using Ossorio’s Paradigm of Intentional Action (PIA), Person Characteristics, Significance, and State of Affairs concepts—will tell a complete enough story. He will also trace his increasing appreciation of the significance of this young man’s extraordinary behavior to “Intentional Action and Empathy: A Descriptive Psychology Approach,” a recent paper by Wynn Schwartz. |
| Related Papers |
1. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1964). Wherever You Go, There You Are. New York City: Hyperion. 2. Mchenry, R. RunforIt.US. Website, 2011. 3. Ossorio,P.G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Sidman, J. (1968). Empathy and Helping Behavior in College Students. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, Inc. 5. Schwartz, W. (2010). Draft of a paper subsequently published as: Schwartz, W. (2013). The parameters of empathy: Core considerations for psychotherapy and supervision. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 197-212). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
“All the World’s a Stage:” A Person-Centered View of Science
| Audio | Click here to view the full video of this pre-conference tutorial presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 23, 2011 |
| Abstract: | In this talk, an alternative view of the nature of science will be presented. Building on the work of Ossorio (1981, 1998, 2006) and Roberts (2010), the presenter will argue against the currently prevalent view that (a) the real world is just the totality of physical states of affairs; (b) it is independent of us and our human distinctions; and (c) we are mere spectators whose job as scientists is to understand it. Six arguments will be advanced against this view of science, culminating in a positive view wherein science emerges as a far more person-centered venture and the real world itself emerges as essentially the world of persons and their behavior. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this tutorial. |
What’s in a name?
| Audio with Slides | Click here to listen to this presentation. |
| Presenter | C.J. Peek, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 19, 2013 |
| Abstract | “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”—Juliet Capulet, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
That may be both true and practical in context of personal knowledge such as this. But when the challenge is to build up a new field of research and practice across many implementers and scientists over geography and over time, it will not do to have only locally-generated terminology, as in, “We know what we mean by that here.” Juliet loved the person called Montague, but felt that the name was a meaningless convention in the context of her love. But in the world of science and practice, conventional names (lexicons) are essential to distilling generalizable knowledge or lessons learned from natural experiments going on across the country. With everything going by different names (even if locally ‘smelling as sweet’) there is no way to aggregate and study collective experience and build a field out of it. Building a field is what gives people a shot at not having to re-invent the wheel in their own local settings. The presentation: First, the creation of consensus lexicons through paradigm case formulation and parametric analysis as outlined in Descriptive Psychology. Second, the application of lexicons and their derivatives to the practical questions of multiple stakeholders. Third, the special importance of lexicons in research essential to rapid healthcare transformation. Finally, how to recognize a situation that requires a definitional framework to continue productive conversation—and get started creating one. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Lessons from Pete – Remastered
| Audio | Click here to listen to this presentation. |
| Presenter | Walter Torres, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 20, 2019 |
| Abstract | Several psychotherapeutic cases supervised by Dr. Peter G. Ossorio, the founder of Descriptive Psychology, will be presented. In doing so, specific psychotherapeutic Status Dynamic Psychotherapy principles and strategies instantiated in Dr. Ossorio’s supervisory recommendations, and the applicability of these to current clinical cases of the presenter involving injury and impairment will be demonstrated. The diversity of cases will illustrate a range of applications of Status Dynamic Psychotherapy, and these will be compared with and integrated into current Cognitive Behavioral models. |
| Related Papers |
There are no references for this presentation. |
Antisocial Personality Disorder from a DP Perspective
| Audio | Click here to view the full video of this pre-conference tutorial presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 02, 2010 |
| Abstract: | In this talk, I will discuss impulsive styles from a Descriptive Perspective, with an emphasis on antisocial personality disorder. The focus will be on discussing this kind of action, and this kind of person, from a worlds perspective, and contrasting this with the classical neooanalytic view of David Shapiro. Further elements in the discussion will include raising the question of whether impulsive behavior is really, as often alleged, a different kind of behavior, or if the term “impulsive” is better seen as a critic’s term expressing (perhaps warranted) disapproval of the behavior. A third element that will come into play is Ossorio’s Judgment Diagram. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this tutorial. |
Status Dynamic Therapy
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this pre-conference tutorial presentation. |
| Handout | Click here to download the handout for this presentation |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | January 23, 2021 |
| Abstract: | There is no abstract for this presentation |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R.M. (2007). Status dynamics: An enriching path to therapeutic change.. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 2. Bergner, R.M. (1995). Pathological Self-Criticism: Assessment and Treatment (The Springer Series in Social/Clinical Psychology). New York, NY: Plenum Press. 3. Marshall, K.M. (1992). A bulimic life pattern. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 257-269). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
Worlds, Observers, and Physics
| Audio | Click here to listen to an audio of this tutorial, with the slides included. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 30, 2016 |
| Abstract: | Most of us have heard of Newton’s laws, quantum mechanics, and relativity. But where do they come from? Why does F = ma? Why do very tiny particles have to be described by quantum mechanics instead of Newton’s laws? Why does light always travel at the same speed? In physics classes we learn, “That’s just how the universe is.”
This is unsatisfying. It means the physical world, that which sets innumerable limits on us as humans, is arbitrary. It “just turns out” that F = ma. But F = ma governs every single ordinary interaction we have every ordinary object. So it “just turns out” that, e.g., if your car hits a wall at 60 mph you’re dead? Really? Descriptive Psychologists are generally familiar with Ossorio’s observation that everything can be treated as a (defective) case of a person: dogs, clams, quarks. Using this observation, and asking some unusual questions, reveals that the laws of physics are not arbitrary at all. In this talk we’ll see that asking, “What does a baseball know,” reveals why things have inertia, and that F = ma. By asking, “What do two people, one inside and one outside, of a spaceship see,” we can find out why the speed of light is constant. By asking, “What can we say about what happens to an object when it travels through some area so peculiar that we can in principle say nothing about what happens in that area,” we find that quantum mechanics is forced upon is –it could not be any other way. The aim of this talk is to provide new understanding and, possibly, appreciation of the relationship between the physical world and the human one. And all without mathematics! |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
Personality and Personality Theories – Lectures by Peter G. Ossorio, Ph.D.
| Acknowledgement | The Society would like to thank the Peter G. Ossorio Estate for permission to offer these recordings on our website. Our hope is that by making them available in this way that they will be accessed by a much wider audience. | |
| Presenter | Peter G. Ossorio, Ph.D. | |
| Date | Fall, 1974 | |
| Background Information |
These lectures, accessed using the links below, are from a graduate level course during the Fall Semester, 1974, that was given by Dr. Ossorio “to first-year clinical psychology graduate students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a number of more advanced students auditing” and were taped by C.J. Peek, Ph.D. with Dr. Ossorio’s permission. A CD containing the entire set of these lectures was first distributed in 2007 to members of the Society for Descriptive Psychology. This course was offered again in the Summer Semester, 1976. It was transcribed and first published by the Linguistic Research Institute (LRI) in 1977 as LRI Report No. 16, Personality and Personality Theories. It was re-published in 2015 by Descriptive Psychology Press (DPP) as Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio Vol. IX. A PDF of the LRI Report can be accessed from the Peter G. Ossorio Collection at CU Scholar, by using a link on this page. A PDF of the DPP volume can be accessed here. Although from a later version of the course, consulting this version can still be helpful when used in conjunction with the 1974 lectures. |
|
| Supporting Documents |
In addition to the lectures themselves, the 2007 CD also included a number of supporting files and information, including the following:
1. An historical note about the course, by Mary K. Roberts, Ph.D. |
|
| Lecture | Content | |
| Note | Throughout these lectures Dr. Ossorio refers to specific sections of the “Outline of Descriptive Psychology for Personality Theory and Clinical Applications.” Please download a copy of that document, using the link above, in order to follow these references. | |
| 0-1 | The Person Concept – Concepts; Conceptual-notational devices; Parameters of behavior | |
| 0-2 | The Person Concept – Behavior parameters and values; Observation and inference | |
| 1-1 | The Person Concept – ID, S parameters; Verbal behavior; Calculational systems | |
| 1-2 | The Person Concept – Forms of behavior description; Diamond notation; Operations | |
| 1-3 | The Person Concept – Cautions; Reduction operations; Causality; Persons | |
| 1-4 | The Person Concept – Person Characteristics | |
| 2-1 | The Person Concept – Person Characteristics; Pathological states; Needs | |
| 2-2 | The Person Concept – Person Characteristics; Reasons | |
| 2-3 | The Person Concept – Critic judgments; Maxims | |
| 3-1 | The Person Concept – Maxims; Reasons and wants | |
| 3-2 | The Person Concept – Maxims; Developmental Schema | |
| 3-3 | The Person Concept – Maxims; Observers; Relationship Formula | |
| 4-1 | The Person Concept – Relationship Formula; Emotion Formulas | |
| 4-2 | The Person Concept – Emotional behavior | |
| 4-3 | The Person Concept – Relationship Change Formula; Process format; Intrinsic practices | |
| 5-1 | The Person Concept – Negotiation; Horrible examples; Bargaining | |
| 5-2 | The Person Concept – Judgment Diagram; Influence Principles; Self-presentation; Status | |
| 5-3 | Fritz Perls and Gloria | |
| 6-1 | Relationship of Fritz Perls and Gloria | |
| 6-2 | Fritz and Gloria conclusion; AOC approach to theories; three questions; Freudian instinct | |
| 6-3 | Two formulations of Freudian instinct | |
| 7-1 | Lecture 6 review; historical perspective on Freudian theory; Freudian theory | |
| 7-2 | Freudian theory; Justification ladder | |
| 7-3 | Developmental schema; Freudian theory – displacement | |
| 8-1 | Freudian theory – ego defense mechanisms, distortion | |
| 8-2 | Freudian theory – oral, anal, phallic stages; Value and falsifiability of theories | |
| 8-3 | Introduction to Allport’s trait | |
| 9-1 | Allport’s principle of functional autonomy; Changes in parametric values | |
| 9-2 | Allport 2 | |
| 9-3 | Allport 3 | |
| 10-1 | Allport 4; Operant conditioning 1 | |
| 10-2 | Operant conditioning 2 | |
| 10-3 | Operant conditioning 3 | |
| 11-1 | Operant conditioning 4; Existential theories 1 | |
| 11-2 | Existential theories 2 | |
| 11-3 | Existential theories 3 | |
| 11-4 | Existential theories 4; Actualization, guilt, world design, mode of being | |
| 12-1 | Student questions on existentialism | |
| 12-2 | Mental concepts; Aristotle | |
Theologies
| Audio | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Paul Zeiger, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 23, 2011 |
| Abstract: | This presentation will explore the means by which competence in some domain of interest can be acquired in an organized and reproducible way. The domain of particular interest will be spirituality. The exploration will shed light on how different levels of competence might be distinguished, and on how differences in the means used to attain spiritual competence differentiate religions. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
One Bite at a Time: A Glossary of Descriptive Psychology Concepts
| Audio | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Web Access | Click here to access the One Bite at a Time (OBaaT) website. |
| Presenter | C. J. Stone |
| Date | September 23, 2012 |
| Abstract: | In the early 1980s, John M. Carroll was teaching regular folk how to use dedicated word processors such as the IBM Displaywriter. There were lots of new concepts for the learners–and lots of restrictions—and he discovered instruction manuals were written in such a way that they prevented people from learning.
To fix this, he developed minimalist instruction. At the core, everything that needs to be done is treated as a stand-alone piece of information that points to other things that need to be done. You start at your own level of skill, and you only need to read about what you don’t know. In a sort of pre-internet way, the stand-alone pieces were linked together, and you followed the links you needed. (His book about this is named The Nurnberg Funnel: Designing Minimalist Instruction for Practical Computer Skill.) Descriptive Psychology is a very extensive, highly-elaborated, closely-linked set of concepts. There doesn’t seem to be a best entry point for learning about the concepts and their links, so I decided to put the concepts on individual pages and link them. I expect the reader to move from concept to concept as needed. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time; thus, Descriptive Psychology, One Bite at a Time. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
Explaining Explanations
| Audio | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Paul Zeiger, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2010 |
| Abstract: | In many of our roles – teachers, parents, mangers, therapists – we are regularly called upon to give explanations, and at other times we listen to or read explanations presented by others. Sometimes they succeed better than at other times. What makes for a successful explanation? What makes something qualify as an explanation at all? What situations call for one? In the slogan “If you have a good enough description, you don’t need an explanation” — why? How might we detect something else, say a sales pitch or a bunch of gobbledygook, masquerading as an explanation? Answers to these and related questions will be explored in the form of a conversation. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
Getting Old and Getting Old: Accidental Degradation and How to Avoid it
| Audio | Click here to listen to an audio of this tutorial, with the slides included. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 14, 2018 |
| Abstract: | Ageism and, more generally, treating people differently purely on the basis of their age, are widely recognized. As with racism, this carries the danger that people come to see themselves as less –in this case, unable, both physically and mentally an outcome of the principle articulated by Tony Putman: people become as they are treated as being. This talk addresses one aspect of this issue, a linguistic one: the very language used to talk about people older than a certain age is both a simple description and a status assignment; but there are no “markers” for status assignments in English, and so it is very easy to come to see one’s self as aged, infirm, and unable without intending to an unintentional self-status assignment. The goal of this presentation is to clarify this phenomenon and how to avoid accidental degradation. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this presentation. |
Trauma, Exposure, and World Reconstruction
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this pre-conference tutorial presentation. |
| Slides | There are no slides for this presentation |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 09, 2009 |
| Abstract: | This presentation develops the implications of conceptualizing trauma in terms of devastating transformations of clients’ worlds. The presentation includes (1) an analysis of how this view renders the symptoms of PTSD intelligible; (2) a demonstration of how it integrates research findings on who is most vulnerable to PTSD; (3) a critique of the currently dominant “reprocessing of maladaptive memory structures” accounts of how exposure therapy works; and (4) a reconceptualization of how exposure therapies achieve their salutary results. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this tutorial. |
Finding Your Way Out of Depression: A Pre-Conference Descriptive Psychology Tutorial
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supplementary Material |
Click here for a pdf copy of the presentation slides. |
| Presenter | David Bender, Ph.D. & J. Hap Cox, Ph.D. (based on the work of J.R. Holmes, Ph.D.) |
| Date | October 17, 2013 |
| Abstract | There is no abstract for this tutorial presentation. |
Practical Use of Descriptive Psychology: Applying Psychotherapy Concepts to Other Contexts
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this tutorial, with the slides included. |
| Slides | Dr. Jeffrey did not have an opportunity to discuss all of his prepared slides during this two hour presentation. Click here to access a PDF copy of the slides for this tutorial. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 09, 2009 |
| Abstract: | Many of the concepts, maxims and images useful in therapy, such as “be on the client’s side,” “little white balls descriptions,” “there is no ‘how’,” and “meet the client where they are,”are useful in contexts that seem quite unlike therapy, such as computer systems analysis. They apply for an interesting reason: Ossorio said, “We don’t read minds. We read situations.” In both therapy and systems analysis the situation is that we need a complete and detailed understanding of the clients’ lives, as they engage in the practices of their community.Via presentation and small-group exploration, we will address: 1) What other images, maxims, and concepts apply in organizational tasks, and 2) What are some other contexts where ideas and techniques from therapy can be applied? |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this tutorial. |
Descriptive Psychology Tutorial
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this tutorial, with the slides included. |
| Slides | Dr. Jeffrey did not have an opportunity to discuss all of his prepared slides during this two hour presentation. Click here to access a PDF copy of the full slide deck for this tutorial. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 30, 2010 |
| Abstract: | There is no abstract for this tutorial. |
| Related Papers |
There is no reference list for this tutorial. However, many of the papers mentioned by Dr. Jeffrey can be downloaded from this website. |
Uncertainty Appraisals: A Radical Reformulation of Subjective Probability
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation, with the slides included.
Note: At the time of this presentation, it was retitled “The Expert’s Dilemma.“ |
| Slides | Click here for a PDF copy of the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 18, 2013 |
| Abstract: | When a patient asks a doctor, “What are my chances?” they are not asking what percentage of people recover; they want to know their chances. When a judge asks a psychologist, “What are the chances this person will re-offend?” she wants to know what to count on from this person, not what percentage of a group will re-offend — because she has to make a decision about this individual, not a group. When a psychologist asks himself, “What are the chances this person will harm himself or others?” he is not asking, “How many people like this will harm themselves or others?” because he needs to make a decision about that individual, not a group. The doctor, the judge, and the psychologist are asking questions involving what is usually called “subjective probability”. Contrary to how it has been thought of since the 17th century, “subjective probability” is not probability at all. We present a radical reformulation of that range of phenomena as uncertainty appraisals, re-descriptions which, as with all other appraisals, carry tautological implications for action. The new formulation yields better ways of replying to “subjective probability” questions and a new method, Complete Situation Analysis, for combining actual and “subjective” probabilities. |
| Related Papers |
1. Jeffrey, H.J. (2010). Homo Communitatis: A rigorous foundation for behavioral finance. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228788898_Homo_Communitatis_A_Rigorous_Foundation_for_Behavioral_Finance. 2. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2013). The Irrationality illusion: A new paradigm for economics and behavioral economics. The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 14:3, 161-194. 3. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2015). “Subjective Probability in Behavioral Economics and Finance: A Radical Reformulation,” The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 16(3), 231-249. |
Notes on Community Description
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Anthony Putman, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 24, 2-14 |
| Abstract: | There is no abstract for this presentation. |
| Related Paper |
Communities. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 195-209). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. |
When Worlds Collide: Origins of Intractable Value Problems
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Anthony Putman, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 22, 2012 |
| Abstract: | Worlds have a compelling consistency. Within worlds it is often possible to negotiate differences in values and practices; between worlds, it is notoriously difficult, even impossible, to do so. People will go to almost any length to maintain their worlds, even in the face of powerful reasons to change. Why? What holds worlds together so powerfully? This talk will take a deep dive into the complexity of people, communities and worlds in search of ultimates — and some possible avenues to resolution of intractable value problems. |
| Related Paper |
Putman A.O. (2013). At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 19-36). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
Ordinary Magic, Part 3: Consciousness, Community and Worlds
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Anthony Putman, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 1, 2010 |
| Abstract: | In a post-script to last year’s “At a Glance” paper, it was noted that: “The conceptual connections among Actor, Observer and Critic have already been spelled out in some detail, but there is still fruitful elaboration to do. In particular we will get considerable mileage from a deeper examination of the interconnections among A-O-C, Actor’sknowledge, Communities, Conscious of and Conscious as, Real Worlds and the Dramaturgical Model.” This presentation will pursue that elaboration to some surprisingly powerful conclusions. The audience should come prepared to participate rather than merely listen. |
| Related Paper |
Putman A.O. (2013). At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 19-36). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
At A Glance And Out of Nowhere: Actor’s Knowledge and the Ongoing Creation of Meaning in the Real World
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials | There are no slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Anthony Putman, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 10, 2009 |
| Abstract: | This presentation explores in depth the ways in which persons spontaneously create meaning in the real world. Building on last year’s Presidential Address “Ordinary Magic: What Descriptive Psychology Is and Why It Matters”, it offers a detailed re-conceptualization of some material in Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink”, including his observations on “rapid cognition” that takes place in the “blink of an eye.” Actor concepts from Descriptive Psychology take the surprise out of the validity of Gladwell’s observations and account for them systematically as a fundamental property of real persons acting in the real world in real time. |
| Reference | Putman A.O. (2013). At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 19-36). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
We’re Off to See the Wizard: Politics, Charisma, and Community Change
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
There are no slides for this presentation. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 23, 2011 |
| Abstract: | The presentation will utilize the Descriptive Psychology concepts of status, community, and world to work toward an understanding of political behavior. This initial presentation will focus on the emergence of charismatic leaders, the community conditions involved in this phenomenon, and implications for our current political culture. |
| References and Related Papers |
1. Barlow, J. J. (2003) The man behind the curtain. The Review of Politics, 65, 475- |
Psychotherapy the Descriptive Psychology Way: A Pre-conference Tutorial
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this pre-conference tutorial presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view a pdf of the slides from this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R.M. (2007). Status dynamics: An enriching path to therapeutic change. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
2. Bergner, R.M., & Bunford, N. (2013). Suicide and impossible worlds. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 55-74). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Roberts, M. (1985). Worlds and world reconstruction. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 17-52). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press |
Presidential Address: Creating Monsters: The Power of Descriptive Psychology Concepts in Understanding Genocide.
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here for a pdf copy of this presentations slides. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 17, 2013 |
| Abstract: | How can ordinary people be transformed into mass murderers? Much of the literature on genocide focuses on the person or the group, but Descriptive Psychology has systematically interrelated concepts of Person and Community to tackle the problem of the “banality of evil”. With a particular emphasis on the genocide of the Rwandan Tutsis, I will use the concepts of Person, Community, World, and Status to understand how ordinary people can participate in genocidal acts. |
| References and Related Papers |
Presidential Address: Dispelling the Illusion of Irrationality: Re-doing Economics from the Ground Up
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation, with the slides included. |
| Slides | Click here for a PDF copy of the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 24, 2011 |
| Abstract: | Economics as it exists today is the apotheosis of behaviorism: i.e., economics describes individual behavior as input and output, decision as choice of outcome, and equating value with prudential value. Accepting that world description forces one to conclude that people are irrational, driven by hidden forces that shape their decisions; that is the view held, popularized, and acted on by economists today. Besides being a pathogenic degradation, this view is fundamentally erroneous, for it is based on the flawed assumption that persons are input-output machines. Starting with the recognition that economic behavior is behavior, and continuing with the recognition that people choose what to do based on their reasons, and that everything a person does is a case of engaging in a social practice of a community, a new paradigm for economics will be developed during this presentation. The presenter will show that the problem is not people; the problem is the paradigm whose central concept is that persons are machines. People and their behavior, including their economic behavior, make sense, and the claimed irrationality is an illusion produced by flawed behavior descriptions. |
| Related Papers |
1. Jeffrey, H.J. (2010). Homo Communitatis: A rigorous foundation for behavioral finance. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228788898_Homo_Communitatis_A_Rigorous_Foundation_for_Behavioral_Finance. 2. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2013). The Irrationality illusion: A new paradigm for economics and behavioral economics. The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 14:3, 161-194. 3. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2015). “Subjective Probability in Behavioral Economics and Finance: A Radical Reformulation,” The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 16(3), 231-249. |
Therapeutic Images: A Panel Discussion
| Video | Click here to listen to an audio of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here for a PDF copy of the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Laurie Bergner, Ph.D.
|
| Date | September 20, 2019 |
| Abstract: | This talk has three parts. First, will be a review of basic descriptive ideas about the use of stories and images in psychotherapy, as originated by Peter Ossorio. This will include, among other things, a description of how images can be used as actual diagnoses and the advantages of doing so. Second, a briefly review a number of classic descriptive images developed by Ossorio will be provided. Third and finally, participants will be invited to share other images and stories they have found useful in psychotherapy, especially ones they have created themselves and so would be new to audience members. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P.G. (1976). Clinical topics (LRI Report #11). Whittier, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic |
Informal Status Assignments
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Slides for this presentation are not available. |
| Presenter | Erol Zeybekoglu, Psy.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Abstract: | In this presentation, the term ‘Informal Status Assignment’ (ISA) is introduced to describe states of affairs that unceremoniously communicate changes to individual status, or place within a given community. Descriptive Psychology is used examine the concept of ‘spontaneous stratification’ and its impact on symptom presentation and treatment outcomes. This presentation will provide an in-depth review of the Person Characteristic (PC) parameter described by Ossorio and explore empirically grounded methods of representing spontaneous PC appraisals as a basis for informal changes to the structural stratification of a group. |
| Related Papers |
References for this presentation are not available. |
Presidential Address: Traversing Surreal Worlds: Using Descriptive Psychology in the clinical treatment of persons with psychotic and delusional thought disorders.
| Video | Click here to listen to the audio of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here for a PDF copy of the slides for this presentation, including references. |
| Presenter | Erol Zeybekoglu, Psy.D. |
| Date | September 19, 2019 |
| Abstract: | In this presentation, the term ‘Informal Status Assignment’ (ISA) is introduced to describe states of affairs that unceremoniously communicate changes to individual status, or place within a given community. Descriptive Psychology is used examine the concept of ‘spontaneous stratification’ and its impact on symptom presentation and treatment outcomes. This presentation will provide an in-depth review of the Person Characteristic (PC) parameter described by Ossorio and explore empirically grounded methods of representing spontaneous PC appraisals as a basis for informal changes to the structural stratification of a group. |
| Related Papers |
References for this presentation are included in the slides PDF. |
Refinement of a Paradigm Case Formulation of a Daydream: Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Considerations
| Audio | Click here to listen to the audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here to download a copy of the slides for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Abstract: | In this session, you will learn about The Daydream Lab’s efforts to refine a paradigm case formulation (PCF) of a daydream. These efforts moved beyond conceptual analysis into an empirically based refinement of the PCF. This refinement was accomplished through the use of an open-format two-phaseapproach to measuring daydream content. The relation of daydream content, as categorized according to the PCF’s transformations, to loneliness and personality traits also will be discussed. |
| References and Related Papers |
1. Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529. 2. Blouin-Hudon, E-M. C., & Zelenski, J. M. (2016). The daydreamer: Exploring the personality underpinnings of daydreaming styles and their implications for well-being. Consciousness and Cognition, 44, 114–129. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2016.07.007 3. Dorsch, F. (2015). Focused daydreaming and mind-wandering. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 791–813. doi: 10.1007/s13164-014-0221-4 4. Honeycutt, J. M. (2003). Imagined interactions: Daydreaming about communication. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Incorporated. 5. Huba, G. J., Aneshensel, C. S., & Singer, J. L. (1981). Development of scales for three second-order factors of inner experience. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 16(2), 181–206. doi: 10.1207/s15327906mbr1602_4 Imaginal processes inventory: Short form. (2016, October 10). Retrieved from http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~kihlstrm//ConsciousnessWeb/Meditation/IPI_Short.htm 6. Johnson, H. D., Lavoie, J. C., & Mahoney, M. (2001). Interparental conflict and family cohesion: Predictors of loneliness, social anxiety, and social avoidance in late adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16(3), 304-318. 7. Kane, M. J., Brown, L. H., McVay, J. C., Silvia, P. J., Myin-Germeys, I., & Kwapil, T. R. (2007). For whom the mind wanders, and when: An experience-sampling study of working memory and executive control in daily life. Psychological Science, 18(7), 614–621. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01948.x 8. Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006), 932. doi: 10.1126/science.1192439 9. Klinger, E. (2009). Daydreaming and fantasizing: Thought flow and motivation. In Markman, K. D., Klein, W. M. P., & Suhr, J. A (Eds.), Handbook of imagination and mental simulation (pp. 225–239). New York, NY: Psychology Press. 10. Machado, A., Lourenço, O., & Silva, F. J. (2000). Facts, concepts, and theories: The shape of psychology’s epistemic triangle. Behavior and Philosophy, 28, 1–40. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00131 11. Mar, R. A., Mason, M. F., & Litvack, A. (2012). How daydreaming relates to life satisfaction, loneliness, and social support: The importance of gender and daydream content. Consciousness and cognition, 21(1), 401-407. 12. Marchetti, I., Van de Putte, E., & Koster, E. H. W. (2014). Self-generated thoughts and depression: From daydreaming to depressive symptoms. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 1–10. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00131 McMillan, R. L., Kaufman, S. B., Singer, J. L. (2013). Ode to positive constructive daydreaming. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1–9. 13. McVay, J. C., Kane, M. J., & Kwapil, T. R. (2009). Tracking the train of thought from the laboratory into everyday life: An experience-sampling study of mind wandering across controlled and ecological contexts. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16(5), 857–863. doi: 10.3758/PBR.16.5.857 14. Newby-Clark, I., R., & Thavendran, K. (2018). To daydream is to imagine events: Conceptual, empirical, and theoretical considerations. Theory and Psychology, 28, 261-268. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354317752270 15. Person, E. S. (1995). By force of fantasy. New York, NY: BasicBooks. 16. Poerio, G. L., Totterdell, P., Emerson, L-M., & Miles, E. (2015). Love is the triumph of the imagination: Daydreams about significant others are associated with increased happiness, love and connection. Consciousness and Cognition, 33, 135–144. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2014.12.011 17. Poerio, G. L., Totterdell, P., Emerson, L-M., & Miles, E. (2016). Social daydreaming and adjustment: An experience-sampling study of socio-emotional adaptation during a life transition. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-14. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00013 18. Regis, M. (2013). Daydreams and the function of fantasy. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan. 19. Singer, J. L. (1975). The inner world of daydreaming. New York, NY: Harper & Row. 20. Singer, J. L., & Antrobus, J. S. (1970). Imaginal processes inventory. New York, NY: City University of New York. 21. Smallwood, J., & Schooler, J. W. (2015). The science of mind wandering: Empirically navigating the stream of consciousness. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 487–518. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015331 22. Somer, E., Lehrfeld, J., Bigelsen, J., & Jopp, D. S. (2016). Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS). Consciousness and Cognition, 39, 77–91. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.001 23. Stawarczyk, D., Majerus, S., Van der Linden, M., & D’Argembeau, A. (2012). Using the daydreaming frequency scale to investigate the relationships between mind-wandering, psychological well-being, and present-moment awareness. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 1–15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00363 |
A Paradigm Case Formulation of Parkinson’s Disease
| Audio | Click here to listen to the audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
The slides for this presentation are not yet available. |
| Presenter | Keith Davis, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Abstract: | In Ossorio’s classic work on the Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF), he suggested three rules of thumb: “(a) choose a complex case, (b) start with an indubitable case, and (c) choose a primary or archetypical case” [BoP, pp. 29-30].The task of this project is to present a way of organizing the variety and distinctiveness of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) so that we can see meaningful patterns relevant to treatments & PD’s etiology. |
| References and Related Papers |
Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Previously published as Ossorio, P.G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. V). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.) |
The Wretched Nurseries of Unceasing Discord: Tribalism, political conflict, and person communities.
| Audio | Click here to listen to the audio of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here for the presentation slides. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Abstract: | The concept of ‘tribalism’ tends to be associated with racist thinking of years past and its use not only tends to be pejorative in this way, but also degrades those painted as acting tribally using the very same methods it purports to deride. Political pundits have supported their use of the term with a body of cognitive research called Motivated Cognition and a subset of this research called the Politically Motivated Research Paradigm. This presentation will critique this research and then utilize Descriptive Psychology concepts of world, behavior potential, community, and Actor-Observer-Critic to give an alternative explanation of such findings. |
| References and Related Papers |
1. Adebo, S.O. (1964). An African Chief Explains Tribalism. http://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/01/an-african-chief-explains-tribalism.html Page 4 of 6.
2. Drum, K. (2014). Is Tribalism Skyrocketing in American Politics. http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/tribalism-skyrocketing-american-politics/#. 3. Haidt, J. (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 4. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2013). The Irrationality illusion: A new paradigm for economics and behavioral economics. The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 14:3, 161-194. 5. Kahan, D. (2016). The Politically Motivated Reasoning Paradigm, Part 1: What Politically Motivated Reason Is and How to Measure it. Emerging Trends in Social & Behavioral Sciences. Online advance: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118900772.etrds0417/pdf. 6. Kristoff, N. (2018). https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/opinion/sunday/liberal-conservativ…ion®ion=opinion-c-col-left region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region ) 7. Lehrer, T. (1965).National Brotherhood Week (lyrics), http://www.metrolyrics.com/national-brotherhood-week-lyrics-tom-lehrer.html. 8. Mooney, C. (2011). Denial science. Mother Jones, March,2013. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/denial-science-chris-mooney. 9. Nunberg, G. (2017). As Fissures Between Political Camps Grow, ‘Tribalism’ Emerges As The Word Of 2017 : NPR, 12/6/2017. 10. Nyhan, B. & Reifler, J. (2010) When corrections fail: The persistence of political misperceptions. Political Behavior, 32(2), 303-330. 11. Nyhan, B. (2016).The challenge of false beliefs: Understanding and countering misperceptions in politics and health care. White paper prepared for the University of Michigan conference on “How We Can Improve Health Science Communication,” June 17–18, 2016. 12. Ossorio, P. G. (1982/1998). Place. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. III. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 30a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.) 13. Ossorio, P. G. (2006a). The behavior of persons. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. V. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 14. Ossorio, P.G. (2009). Out of Nowhere. In K. E. Davis, F.L. Lubuguin & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 9 (pp. 107-143). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 15. Putman, A. (1998). Being, becoming and belonging. In J. Jeffrey & R. Bergner, (Eds.). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 16. Putman A.O. (2013). At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 10 (pp. 19-36). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 17. Putman A.O. (2013). When worlds collide: The source of intractable value problems. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 10 (pp. 81-112). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 18. Reich, R. (2014). The New Tribalism and the Decline of the Nation, http://robertreich.org/post/80522686347 19. Roberts, M.K. (2010). An indeterminate and expansive world. In K. E.Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 9 (pp. 231-256). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 10. Roberts, M.K. (2013). Knowing the world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 10 (pp. 37-54). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 21. Scott, J.C. (2009). The art of not being governed: An anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. 22. Schwartz, W. (2013). The Parameters of Empathy: Core Considerations for Psychotherapy and Supervision. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304716171_The_Parameters_of_Empathy_Core_Considerations_for_Psychotherapy_and_Supervision 23. Sullivan, A. (2017). America Wasn’t Built for Humans. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/09/can-democracy-survive-tribalism.html> |
The Social Practice of Satire:
Power, Place, and Politics
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials |
Click here for the presentation slides. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. Jane Littmann, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 25, 2015 |
| Abstract: | The massacre last January of cartoonists in Paris sparked a debate about free speech vs. hateful speech, reminded us of the tradition in a free society of the right to criticize and offend, and warned us about boundaries between civil discourse and violent action. Satire as a form of expression has a long history of challenging power in diverse cultures. What does a Descriptive Psychology formulation of Humor and Satire add to our understanding of diverse reactions to expressions of humor, and the potential uses of humor and satire to challenge power, alter statuses, and change perspectives of their audience?A review of the DP formulation of Humor and Satire from Jane’s dissertation, including the dynamics of Humor’s power to accredit or degrade and spark reaction, will provide the springboard for a group discussion with the DP community of the above issues of politics, culture, discourse, and action. |
| References and Related Papers |
Presidential Address:
Social Progress and the Just Choice
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view a pdf of supporting materials for this presentation. |
| Presenter | Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract: | Among the intrinsic motivations, the weighing of ethical and moral reason stands along side aesthetics as quintessentially humane attributes that mark personhood in a way self-interest and pleasure cannot. Further, ethical and moral perspectives guide the varied notions of justice and fairness central to any liberal and cosmopolitan view of social progress. What I’d like to explore is the problem of making a “just” choice or judgment: what facilitates or interferes. Since my concern is also with the idea of social justice and progress, I’ll need to examine the politics of negotiation and agreement. To explore these questions, I’ll modify certain conceptual tools from Descriptive Psychology, notably the Judgment Diagram, to map out and clarify some of the dilemmas of social justice and progress. Since actual social engagement involves personal and interpersonal conflict, ignorance, and self-deception, I’ll develop a model of negotiation that involves at least two actors with limited options given their values and the blind spots in their observer-critic characteristics. All this is complicated since social conflict has ideological, religious, class, race, age, gender and, as recently argued, species biases and interests that might not be reconcilable. |
| Related Papers |
What is Personality? Three Myths and a Definition
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view a pdf of the slides from this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 12, 2018 |
| Abstract: | This presentation addresses the problem that the field of personality psychology remains in need of a consensus formulation of its core subject matter, that of the nature of “personality” itself. Part one of the article introduces and questions the following three myths about personality and its study: (1) The term “personality” refers to an underlying causal entity within a person. (2) The study of personality is the study of the whole person. (3) Our most prominent “theories of personality” actually qualify as scientific theories and are actually about personality. Part two is devoted to presenting a new Descriptive Psychologically-based definition of the term “personality”, a conceptual justification for this definition, and discussion of this new formulation. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P. (1978). Personality and personality theories (LRI Report No. 16). 2. Bergner, R. (2017). What is a person? What is the self? Formulations for a science of 3. Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical investigations. New York: Macmillan. 4. Wilson, J. (1970). Thinking with concepts. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University 5. Feist, J., Feist, G., & Roberts, T. (2013). Theories of personality. New York: McGraw- |
Presidential Address:
Applying Descriptive Psychology to the Treatment of Psychological Trauma
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Slides | Click here to view the presentation slides. |
| Presenter | Ralph Wechsler, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 11, 2018 |
| Abstract: | This presentation will first review Descriptive Psychology’s conceptualization of psychological trauma, i.e., as an encounter with the unthinkable that fundamentally reformulates a person’s world concept and/or self-concept and results in a significant restriction of a person’s behavior potential. It will then offer a Descriptive Psychology perspective on Cognitive Processing Therapy, a contemporary approach to the treatment of PTSD. This presentation will also touch on the issue of moral injury as it relates to PTSD, and explicate some therapeutic strategies, tactics, and techniques for treating PTSD derived from Descriptive Psychology and based on clinical experience treating veterans with combat-related PTSD at the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. |
| Related Papers |
Having Black-White Conversations
Go Right
| Video | The video for this presentation is not available. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract | Using the Relationship-Behavior and Relationship Change Formulas, the problem of how to have fraught conversations between Black and white people go right is addressed. “Have a conversation” is a performative description, which leaves the behavior, including the Significance, unstated. Using the Relationship formulas helps navigate these ambiguous waters, providing a useful formulation of the current state of affairs between the participants, a key outcome that, paradigmatically, both share, and reminders of what actions to take and which to avoid in order to achieve that shared goal. The Relationship formulas are used to develop specific ways to proceed and pitfalls to avoid. |
| Related Papers |
1. The Behavior of Persons, P.G. Ossorio (2006/2013). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
2. Ossorio, P. G. (1998). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press 3. Jeffrey, H.J. (2002). “Including Relationships, Motivation, and Actor-Observer-Critic in the Human-Community Framework,” presented at Agent2003, Challenges in Social Simulation, Gleacher Center of the University of Chicago, October 3-4, 2003 (Sponsored by the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratories.) Proceedings of the Agent 2003 Conference, Challenges in Social Simulation. (Available from http://agent2004.anl.gov/proc.html.) 4. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (1994). Relationship Definition and Management: Tools for Requirements Analysis. Journal of Systems and Software, 24, 277-294. 5. Jeffrey, H.J. (2005). Pragmatic Stakeholder Analysis. The Software Practitioner, (combined issue V. 15 No. 6 & V. 16, No. 1). |
Special Moments with Clients
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| Supplementary Material |
Click here for a pdf copy of the presentation slides. |
| Presenter | David Bender, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 3, 2020 |
| Abstract | This session is a panel discussion of memorable moments in psychotherapy,illustrating a variety of therapeutic interventions and their clinical effectiveness. Foundational concepts for this discussion section will be drawn from the work of Peter G.Ossorio,Ph.D.,his students and others. This collection of work has been designated Descriptive Psychology. Participants will recognize the power of these concepts in making quick and significant therapeutic change in the lives of psychotherapy clients. Participants will be encouraged to contribute their own “moments” as well. |
| Related Papers |
1. Garfinkle, H. (1956)., Conditions of Successful Degradation Ceremonies. American Journal of Sociology, 61,(5), Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. 2. Bergner, R.M. (1998). A therapeutic approach to destructive self-criticism. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 249-273). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Bergner, R., & Holmes, J. (2000). Self-concepts and self-concept change: A status dynamic formulation. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 37, 36-44. 4. Bergner, R. (2007). Therapeutic storytelling revisited. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61, 149-162. 5. Bergner, R. (2013). Therapeutic policies: A policy-based approach to psychotherapy. In R. Bergner, K.Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 10) . Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 6. Bergner, R. (2015). Status dynamic psychotherapy. In E. Neukrig (Ed.) The Sage encyclopedia of counseling and psychotherapy (Vol. 2, 953-955). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. 7. Ossorio, P. G. (1976). Clinical Topics: A Seminar in Descriptive Psychology. Peter G. Ossorio Collection. 4. https://scholar.colorado.edu/ossorio/4. 8. Ossorio, P.G. (2013). Seminar on Clinical Topics. Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VII). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Originally published as LRI Report No. 11. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute). 9. Ossorio, P.G. (2013). The behavior of persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 10. Solomon, M., & Siegel, D. (2013). Healing moments in psychotherapy. New York: Norton. 11. Stern, D. (2010). The present moment in psychotherapy and everyday life. New York: Norton. |
What is Descriptive Psychology:
A First Hand Historical and Substantive Account
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Supporting Materials | See below for a list of publications mentioned by Dr. Putman in this presentation. |
| Presenter | Anthony Putman, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 23, 2015 |
| Abstract: | “What is Descriptive Psychology?” –a seemingly simple question that turns out to be extraordinarily complex and deeply frustrating. Drawing on first-hand experience as a Descriptive Psychologist since its inception in 1964, I will offer a guided tour of what Descriptive Psychology was and is, and how it has been and can be described. We will begin at the beginning with DP 1.0, as delineated in Persons by its founder Peter G.Ossorio, and move forward through versions leading up to the current DP 2015. Along the way we will see that answering that tricky question is not easy – but it is both doable and worth doing, when you drop the details and see what remains. |
| Related Papers |
The following is a list of the articles and books mentioned by Dr. Putman. Many are available by accessing this website’s Publications page, or can be from the Peter G. Ossorio Collection at CU Scholar.
All publications are by Peter G. Ossorio, unless otherwise noted. There are also many other papers and books not mentioned in this presentation, but that are fundamental to the development and application of Descriptive Psychology. Please explore the comprehensive body of publications available on this website. Persons
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My Dissertation Journey with Peter Ossorio: A Personal and Conceptual Story
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| Supporting Materials | Click here to view additional supporting material. Click here to view the presentation slides. |
| Presenter | Ralph Wechsler, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 4, 2020 |
| Abstract: | I will be describing the precision and rigor in developing the conceptualization, as we articulated the significance of manic behaviors, as well as the research methodology that we developed to test our hypotheses. Beyond a profound education in practical epistemology, the doctorate was also a profound personal education. I hope to convey my intellectual and personal journey while completing a doctoral dissertation with Peter Ossorio, my advisor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Although I took this journey 39 years ago, I have a verbatim transcript of the experience to refresh my memory. I recorded each session and transcribed them between our meetings. I could not absorb “on the fly” all that he conveyed in those one-hour meetings, so this strategy allowed me to immerse myself in Descriptive Psychology in general and my clinical topic (manic states) in particular. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P. G. (1970/1981). Outline of Descriptive Psychology for personality theory and clinical applications. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1, (pp. 57-82). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. 2. Wechsler, R. (1983). The relationship between personality and manic states: A status dynamic formulation. Dissertation Abstracts International, 47, 3078 (University Microfilms No. DA8408083). 3. Wechsler, R. (1984, August). “A status dynamic formulation of manic states.” Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Descriptive Psychology, Boulder, CO. 4. Wechsler, R. (1991). Personality and manic states: A status dynamic formulation of bipolar disorder. In M. K. Roberts & R. M. Bergner (Eds.), Clinical Topics: Contributions to the conceptualization and treatment of adolescent-family problems, bulimia, chronic mental illness, and mania. (Advances in Descriptive Psychology series, Vol. 6, pp. 203-233). Boulder, CO & Ann Arbor, Ml: Descriptive Psychology Press. 5. Ossorio, P. (2006/2013). The behavior of persons. Ann Arbor, Ml: Descriptive Psychology Press. 6. Bell, D., Foster, S., & Cone, J. (2019). Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields, Third Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press. |
What is Science For? What is Psychology For? Descriptive Psychology Encounters Nicholas Maxwell’s Philosophy of Science
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| Slides | Click here for a PDF copy of the slides from this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 4, 2020 |
| Abstract | Descriptive Psychology(DP) offers the means by which a person-centered science of psychology can be pursued in a systematic and rigorous way. Although DP rules out certain scientific endeavors(e.g.,‘box’ social cognition), which particular investigations one conducts, and which particular theories one constructs,cannot be determined fully by DP.Nicholas Maxwell provides important guidance that should prove of use to Descriptive Psychologists. I outline Maxwell’s argument that all sciences should move ‘from knowledge to wisdom.’ Using my work on daydreaming as an example, I highlight some important points of contact between Maxwell’s arguments and those of Ossorio and others. |
| Related Papers |
1. Maxwell, N. (2017). In praise of natural philosophy: A revolution for thought and life. McGill-Queen’s Press-MQUP. 2. Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Ossorio, P. G. (1975). What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Newby-Clark, I. R., & Thavendran, K. (2018). To daydream is to imagine events: Conceptual, empirical, and theoretical considerations. Theory & Psychology, 28(2), 261-268. 5. Trullinger, J. (2016). Leisure Is Not a Luxury: The Revolutionary Promise of Reverie in Marcuse. Radical Philosophy Review. |
Kahler v. Kansas: Why SCOTUS Needs Descriptive Psychology
| Video | A video of this presentation is not available. |
| Presenter | Paula Holt, J.D. M.B.A., M.S.  |
| Date | October 3, 2020 |
| Abstract | In the United States, if defendants successfully assert the insanity defense, they are not held criminally liable for their actions. However, there are five different standards by which insanity is defined and evaluated, differing in application from state to state. Because this raises Constitutional concerns,the concept of insanity found its way before the U.S.Supreme Court this past year. I will review and analyze the Court’s decision using resources from Descriptive Psychology. My analysis shows that Descriptive Psychology offers an effective and comprehensive approach to evaluating persons asserting the insanity defense. |
| Related Papers |
1. Kahler v. Kansas, 589 U.S._ (2020). 2. Ossorio, P.G. (2013). Seminar on Clinical Topics: Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio. Descriptive Psychology Press. Volume VII. Ann Arbor, Ml. 3.Littman, Jane (2010) Guilty or not? A Descriptive Psychology Analysis. In K. E. Davis, W. Schwartz, & F. S. A. Lubuguin (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 9 (pp. 87- 112). Ann Arbor, Ml: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Littman, Jane (2010) Elucidating actus reus and mens rea: A Descriptive Psychology Perspective. In K. E. Davis, W. Schwartz, & F. S. A. Lubuguin (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology. Vol. 9 (pp. 409-430). Ann Arbor, Ml: Descriptive Psychology Press. 5. Feuerstein, Seth, Frank Fortunati, Charles A. Morgan, Vladmir Coric, Humberto Temporini, and Steven Southwick (2005) The Insanity Defense. Psychiatry. Vol. 2(9) (pp.24- 25). 6. American Psychology Association (2019), Amie Curiae in Support of Petitioner, Kahler v. Kansas, citing AAPL Practice Guideline for Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation of Defendants Raising the Insanity Defense, J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry & L., 42, S3 (2014 Supp.). |
Psychological Health Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic As a State of Siege
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| Presenter | Walter Torres, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 3, 2020 |
| Abstract | States of military siege provide an illustrative background that is of heuristic value for understanding the features and the psychological effects of a pandemic. The historical record of states of siege suggests threat features, factors that strengthen or undermine defenses against the threat, effects of the state of siege on psychological function, versions of psychological deterioration, and avenues for nullifying or mitigating its harmful effects. |
| Related Papers |
1. Taylor, S. (2019). The Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the next global outbreak of infectious disease. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019. 2. Stern, Jacob. This Is not a normal mental health disaster. The Atlantic Magazine. 3. Marco Ho-Bun Lam, M.H., Wing, Y., Wai-Man Yu, M., Leung, C., Ma, R.C.W, et. al. (2009). Mental morbidities and chronic fatigue in severe acute respiratory syndrome survivors. JAMA Internal Medicine, Arch Intern Med, 69(22), 2142-2147. 4. Yong, E. (2020). Why the coronavirus is so confusing. The Atlantic Magazine, 2020. 5. Wilkinson-Ryan, T. Our minds aren’t equipped for this kind of reopening. The Atlantic Magazine, 2020. |
Having Black-White Conversations
Go Right
| Video | A video of this presentation is not available. |
| Presenter | H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract: | Using the Relationship-Behavior and Relationship Change Formulas,the problem of how to have fraught conversations between Black and white people go right is addressed. “Have a conversation” is a performative description, which leaves the behavior, including the Significance, unstated. Using the Relationship formulas helps navigate these ambiguous waters, providing a useful formulation of the current state of affairs between the participants, a key outcome that, paradigmatically, both share, and reminders of what actions to take and which to avoidinordertoachievethatsharedgoal.The Relationship formulas are used to develop specific ways to proceed and pitfalls to avoid. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 2. Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1998/2012). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Jeffrey, H.J. (2003). Including Relationships, Motivation, and Actor-Observer-Critic in the Human-Community Framework,” presented at Agent 2003, Challenges in Social Simulation, Gleacher Center of the University of Chicago, October 3-4, 2003 (Sponsored by the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratories.) Proceedings of the Agent 2003 Conference, Challenges in Social Simulation. (Available from http://agent2004.anl.gov/proc.html.) 4. Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (1994). Relationship Definition and Management: Tools for Requirements Analysis. Journal of Systems and Software, 24, 277-294. 5. Jeffrey, H.J. (2005).“Pragmatic Stakeholder Analysis. The Software Practitioner (combined issue V. 15 No. 6 & V. 16, No. 1). |
Emotions Revisited: How the Descriptive Formulation Generates Expanded Therapeutic Options
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| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract: | This presentation has three objectives. The first of these is to show that our traditional understanding of the nature of emotions, which equates them essentially with feelings, is incorrect. The second is to present an alternative conception of emotion as a certain kind of perceived relationship between oneself and some object (e.g., some person, event, or state of affairs). The third is to demonstrate how this relational conception of emotions generates a greater range of alternative therapeutic procedures than does the traditional view. |
| Related Papers |
1. Ossorio, P. (2013). Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. . Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 2. Beck, J., & Beck, A. Cognitive behavior therapy (2d edition). New York: Guilford Press. 3. Ossorio P (1997). Three-minute lectures on emotion. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), Essays on clinical topics. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 4. Ossorio P (1997). More three-minute lectures on emotion. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), Essays on clinical topics. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 5. Bergner, R. (2003). Emotions: A relational view and its clinical applications. American Journal of Psychotherapy/em>, 57, 471-490. |
Presidential Address
SES and Place: Examining the Impacts of Financial Position on a Person’s Place in the World
| Video | A video of this presentation is not available. |
| Presenter | Patricia Kennedy, Psy.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract: | PathologicalstatesmayoccurinvariousSEScategories,thoughbeinginaparticularSESposition does not constitute a pathological state. A previously developed parametric description of SES will be discussed to provide clarity to a concept widely utilized in social science research. An assessment measure examining the specific impacts of a person’s SES position will be presented. Resiliency in response to disruptions in Basic Human needs may “protect” against pathology and may occur due to social practices, community involvement, and individual responses to such disruptions. Persons of color experience low SES positions more often than others and discriminatory practices in social interactions and institutional settings cause status loss. The intersection of race and socioeconomic position will be formulated using DP concepts and treatment considerations for working with individuals experiencing racial discrimination or negative impacts of their SES position will be discussed. In summary, this presentation will help participants understand the parametric analysis of SES, ways to apply this description to the everyday world of persons,facts about racism and SES,as well as potential impacts on treatment and the treatment relationship. |
| Related Papers |
1. Diemer, M., R. Mistry, M. Wadsworth, I. Lopez, & F. Reimers. (2013). Best Practices in Conceptualizing and Measuring Social Class in Psychological Research. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 13(1), 77-113. DOI: 10.1111/asap.12001 2. Evans, G.E. & K. Pilyoung. (2013). Childhood Poverty, Chronic Stress, Self-Regulation, and Coping. Child Development Perspectives, 7(1), 43-48. 3.Haushofer, J. & E. Fehr. (2014). On the psychology of poverty. Science, 344, 862-867. 4. Kim, S. & E. Cardemil. (2012). Effective psychotherapy with low-income clients: The importance of attending to social class. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 42(1), 27-35. doi:10.1007/s10879-011-9194-0 5. Lubuguin, F. (2010). Teaching culturally competent psychotherapy: A descriptive psychology approach. In K.E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, 9, 41-85). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.< 6. Mood, C. & J.O. Jonsson. (2015). The social consequences of poverty: An empirical test on longitudinal data. Social Indicators Research, 127, 633-652. DOI 10.1007/s11205-015-0983-9 7. Ossorio, P. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 8. Williams, D.R., D.A. John, D. Oyserman, J. Sonnega, S.A. Mohammed, & J.S. Jackson. (2012) Research on discrimination and health: An exploratory study of unresolved conceptual and measurement issues. American Journal of Public Health, 102(5), 975-978. DOI 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300702 |
Enemies of the People: Whistleblowers and the Status Dynamics of Community Critics
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| Supporting Materials |
Click here for the presentation slides. | Presenter | Charles Kantor, Ph.D. |
| Date | October 2, 2020 |
| Abstract: | The whistleblower is a critic of her community, a community regulator claiming that a set of core values, choice principles, social practices or statuses have been violated by leadership in a community, organization, or institution. My intent in this presentation is to examine the particular status of whistleblower in various communities with the goal of understanding the regulatory statuses in communities that serve to maintain, sustain, and advance the life of communities. Tony Putman contributed major papers and volumes regarding community, organizations and the life and death of communities and in these he noted the kinds of conditions that exist to understand the viabilities of communities from the smallest two person dyads to the largest institutions. I plan here to examine how the emergence of and the plight of whistleblowers gives us insight into community regulation. |
| References and Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R.M. (1998). Coaching and teaching. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, (pp. 321-340), Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
2. Bergner, R.M. (1998). Coaching and motivation. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, (pp. 301-320), Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 3. Holt, S.B. (2006). Competence and Appraisal in Managing the Learning Loop. The Society for Descriptive Psychology Twenty-eighth Annual Conference, October 12, 2006. 4. Ibsen, Henrik.(2018). An Enemy of the People (Translated by R. Farquharson Sharp with an Introduction by Otto Heller). Digireads.com Publishing. Kindle Edition. 5. Krohn, S. M. (2017). The Whistleblower’s handbook: A step-by-step guide to doing what’s right and protecting yourself. Lyons Press. 6. Mueller, T. (2019). Crisis of Conscience:Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud. Penguin Publishing. 7. Ossorio, P.G. (1998). Place: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. III. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 8. Ossorio, P.G. (2000). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology. 9. Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 10. Peek, C.J. & Heinrich, R. (2006). Playing the Person Game in Health Care. In K.E. Davis and R. M. Bergner (Eds.) Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8, (pp.267-324). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 11. Putman, A.O. (1981). Communities. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1, (pp. 195-209). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. 12. Putman, A.O. (1990). Organizations. In A.O. Putman & K. E. Davis (Eds.). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5, (pp. 11-46). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 13. Putman, A.O. (1998). Being, Becoming and Belonging. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, (pp. 127-160). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. 14. Sawyer, K.R., Johnson, J. & Holub, M. (2010) The Necessary illegitimacy of the whistleblower. Business & Professional Ethics Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1/4, 85-107. 15. Stanger, A. (2019). Whistleblowers: Honesty in America from Washington to Trump. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. |
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 2001
Click here for a PDF copy of this Rap Session.
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2001). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 23th Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 2000
Click here for a PDF copy of this Rap Session.
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2000). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 1999
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1999). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 21th Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 1998
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1998). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 20th Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 1997
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1997). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 19th Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio, 1996
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Citation<Ossorio, P.G. (1996). A Rap Session with Peter G. Ossorio. A presentation at the 18th Annual Conference of the Society for Descriptive Psychology.
Essays in Descriptive Psychology (LRI Report No. 8)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Psychotherapy: A means-ends study (LRI Report No. 5)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Formalization of real world representation (LRI Report No. 22)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Putting concepts in the conceptual schema (LRI Report No. 41)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Companions of uncertain status (LRI Report No. 48)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for the full text PDF, as published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Roberts, M.K. (1992). Companions of uncertain status. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 6, (pp. 33-77). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
The dropped out: Redescribing chronic mental illness as a question about communities (LRI Report No. 43)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar
Click here for a full text PDF, as published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Orvik, J.M. (1992). The dropped out: Redescribing chronic mental illness as a question about communities. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 271-297). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Technology transfer and culture change (LRI Report No. 44)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar
Click here for full text (in PDF format), as published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Orvik, J.M. (1990). Technology transfer and culture change. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 61-80). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Decisions and decision aids (LRI Report No. 31)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Knowlege base for C31, Volume II (LRI Report No. 40a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Knowlege base for C31 (Unclassified) (No LRI Report No. assigned)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
This report was originally prepared for the the Rome Air Development Center under Subcontract No. F3O6O2-85-C-O19O.
Large scale systems: A task analysis, assessment, curriculum, training, evaluation, and feedback package (LRI Report No. 24a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citations:
this LRI report was originally published as:
Ossorio, P.G., & Popov, D. (1979). Large scale systems: A task analysis, assessment, curriculum, training, evaluation, and feedback package (LRI Report No. 24a). Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Evaluating information systems (LRI Report No. 27)
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Citation:
This LRI report was originally published as:
Ossorio, P.G., & Popov, D. (1981). Evaluating information systems (LRI Report No. 27). Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
It was prepared for the Rome Air Development Center under Subcontract No. 9006-109-E03-12-12 with Booz-Allen and Hamilton, Inc.
Running across the U.S.: Using DP concepts to understand extraordinary behavior
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Sidman, J. (2011). Running across the U.S.: Using DP concepts to understand extraordinary behavior. Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Descriptive Psychology, Golden, CO.
Appraisal
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol V.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1990). Appraisal. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 155-171). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 37. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
A multicultural psychology
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Citation:
It was originally published by Descriptive Psychology Press as:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1983). A multicultural psychology. In K.E. Davis & R.M. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 3, (pp. 13-44). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 29. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Personality and Personality Theories (LRI Report No. 16)
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Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2015 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press as Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IX.
Citation:
The combined citation for the 2015 book and LRI Report is:
Ossorio, P.G. (1977, 2015). Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol.IX). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1978 as LRI Report No. 16. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Positive health and transcendental theories: A seminar in Descriptive Psychology (LRI Report No. 13)
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Click here to download a PDF of the 2014 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press as Seminar on positive health and transcendental theories: The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. VIII.
Citation:
The citation for the 2014 book is:
Ossorio, P.G. (1977, 2014). Seminar on Positive Health and Transcendental Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VIII). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Clinical topics: A seminar in Descriptive Psychology (LRI Report No. 11)
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Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2013 book entitled “Seminar on clinical topics. Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. VII, published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citations:
The citation for the 2013 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press is:
Ossorio, P.G. (2013). Seminar on Clinical Topics. Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VII). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Originally published as LRI Report No. 11. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute).
Meaning and Symbolism. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. VI (LRI Report No. 15)
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Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2010 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1969/1978/2010). Meaning and Symbolism. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VI). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published as LRI Report 15. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
“What Actually Happens”: The representation of real world phenomena in behavioral science. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV (LRI Report No. 10a)
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Ossorio, P. G. (1972/1975/1978/2005). “What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. Also published Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1975, 1978. (Original work published 1972 as LRI Report No. 10a. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute. Later listed as LRI Report No. 20.)
Place (LRI Report 30a)
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Two editions of this book were also published, a hard cover edition in 1998 and a soft cover edition in 2012.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2012 edition, published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1998/2012). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 30a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Status management: A theory of punishment and rehabilitation
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
Ossorio, P., & Sternberg, B. (1997). Status management: A theory of punishment and rehabilitation. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. 2. Essays on clinical topics (pp. 195-214). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Originally published as LRI Report #25. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1987/1997). Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 165-193). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1987 as LRI Report No. 39a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
More three minute lectures on emotion
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1986/1997). More three minute lectures on emotion. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 131-161). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 36b. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Three minute lectures on emotion
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Ossorio, P.G. (1986/1997). Three minute lectures on emotion. In
Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 99-128). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 37. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Projective techniques
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1987/1997). Projective techniques. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 71-95). Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 38a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Pathology
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. (1985/1997). Pathology. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. 2. Essays on clinical topics (pp. 1-70). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. [Originally published in K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Volume 4, pp. 151-200). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1983 as LRI Report No. 34a. Boulder, CO. Linguistic Research Institute.)
Persons (LRI Report No. 3)
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Click here for the full text PDF of the volume published by Descriptive Psychology Press in 1995.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1966/1995). Persons. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. I. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work
published 1966 as LRI Report No. 3. Los Angeles, CA, & Boulder,
CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Mental health related needs among the indochinese refugees in the Denver metropolitan area (LRI Report No. 21)
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Outline of “Behavior Description”
(LRI Report 4a)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1967). Outline of behavior description. LRI Report No. 4a. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Representaton, evaluation, and research (LRI Report No. 22a)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1979). Representation, evaluation, and research (LRI
Report No. 22a). Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Why Descriptive Psychology
(LRI Report No. 35)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P. (1983). Why Descriptive Psychology. LRI Report No. 35. Boulder, CO. Linguistic Research Institute.
The Mentor Project: Replicating the functions of an organization.
Citation: Jeffrey, J.J., & Putman, A.O. (1980). The Mentor Project: Replicating the functions of an organization. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42, 393B-394B. (University Microfilms No. 81-14015)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
The Mentor Project: Replicating the functions of an organization
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J., & Putman, A.O. (1983). The Mentor Project: Replicating the functions of an organization. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 243-270). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
A new paradigm for software and its development
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Citation: Putman, A.O, & Jeffrey, H.J. (1985). A new paradigm for software and its development. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 119-138). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
A conceptual model for migration in Alaska
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Citation: Orvik, J.M. (1985). A conceptual model for migration in Alaska. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 103-118). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Science, religion, and religions
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Citation: Shideler, M.M. (1985). Science, religion, and religions. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 55-74). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Cheetahs on the couch: Issues affecting the therapeutic working alliance with clients who are cognitively gifted
Citation: Yermish, A. (2010). Cheetahs on the couch: Issues affecting the therapeutic working alliance with clients who are cognitively gifted. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology. Boston, MA: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (William James College).
Supervised by: Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
Victim status: A Descriptive Psychology approach
Citation: Shestok, J.M. (2011). Victim status: A Descriptive Psychology approach. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology. Boston, MA: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (William James College).
Supervised by: Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
Status dynamics, through lines and the dramaturgical pattern of the recovering addict
Citation: Harnsberger, B. (2011). Status dynamics, through lines and the dramaturgical pattern of the recovering addict. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology. Boston, MA: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (William James College).
Supervised by: Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
The use of case study to train cross-cultural competence
Citation: Beautz, S. (2010). The use of case study to train cross-cultural competence. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology. Boston, MA: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (William James College).
Supervised by: Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
A Descriptive Psychology account of patient-centered medicine and the chronic pain patient
Citation: Backstrom, J. (2015). A Descriptive Psychology Account of Patient-Centered Medicine and the Chronic Pain Patient. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Psychology. Boston, MA: William James College (Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology).
Supervised by: Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
Oriental martial arts rehabilitation
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Citation: Aylesworth, L.S. (2010). Oriental Martial Arts Rehabilitation. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 113-142). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The rehabilitation options for people who are disabled with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries, often accompanied by spine and other severe physical injuries, are very limited. In response to the needs of this population, the author has developed OMAR (Oriental Martial Arts Rehabilitation), a pragmatic program for rehabilitation based on the oriental martial arts and status dynamic concepts derived from Descriptive Psychology that are intended to increase Behavior Potential. Some of the resources from oriental martial arts that are used as components of OMAR are briefly described, and an understanding of the severely disabled in light of status dynamic concepts is presented. A description of OMAR with a group of clients with moderate to severe TBI and/or spinal cord injuries is presented, and its applicability to other settings is explored.
Why do men distance? Factors predictive of male avoidance of intimate conflict
Citation: Ward, C., Bergner, R., & Kahn, J. (2003). Why do men distance? Factors predictive of male avoidance of intimate conflict. Family Therapy, 30, 1-9.
World reconstruction in psychotherapy
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2005). World reconstruction in psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 59, 1-17.
What is love? An empirically-based essentialist account
Citation: Hegi, K., & Bergner, R. (2010). What is love? An empirically-based essentialist account. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 27, 620-636.
Sustaining versus losing love: Factors discriminating the two
Citation: Duda, M., & Bergner, R. (2016). Sustaining versus losing love: Factors discriminating the two. Marriage and Family Review, online version published May 4, 2016.
What keeps love alive? An empirical investigation
Citation: Beste S., Bergner, R., & Nauta, M. (2003). What keeps love alive? An empirical investigation. Family Therapy, 30, 125-141.
What is a person? What is the self? Formulations for a science of psychology
Citation: Bergner, R. (2017). What is a person? What is the self? Formulations for a science of psychology. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 37, 77-90.
The Personal Beliefs Scale
Citation: Bergner, R., & Ramon, A. (2014). The Personal Beliefs Scale. American Psychological Association PsychTESTS Database
Some implications of belief in love, free will, and non-reductionism
Citation: Bergner, R., & Ramon, A. (2013). Some implications of belief in love, free will, and non-reductionism. Journal of Social Psychology, 153, 1-21.
Lovemaking as a ceremony of accreditation
Citation: Bergner, R. (2005). Lovemaking as a ceremony of accreditation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 31, 1-8.
The parentification scale
Citation: Mika, P., Bergner, R., & Baum, M. (2001). The parentification scale. In Touliatis, J., Perlmutter, B, & Holden, G., Handbook of family measurement techniques (2d ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Pornography, effects on relationships
Citation: Bridges, A., & Bergner, R. (2009). Pornography, effects on relationships. In H. Reis & S. Sprecher (Eds.), The Sage Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Romantic partner’s use of pornography: Its significance for women
Citation: Bridges, A., Bergner, R., & McInnis, M. (2003). Romantic partner’s use of pornography: Its significance for women. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. 29, 1-14.
Mental disorder disability: In support of our design
Citation: Bergner, R., & Bunford, N. (2017). Mental disorder disability: In support of our design. Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology, 24, 49-52.
The significance of heavy pornography involvement for romantic partners: Research and clinical implications
Citation: Bergner, R., & Bridges A. (2002). The significance of heavy pornography involvement for romantic partners: Research and clinical implications. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 198-206.
Status dynamic psychotherapy
Citation: Bergner, R. (2015). Status dynamic psychotherapy. In E. Neukrig (Ed.) The Sage encyclopedia of counseling and psychotherapy. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Trauma, exposure, and world reconstruction
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2009). Trauma, exposure, and world reconstruction. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 63, 267-282.
Therapeutic storytelling revisited
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2007). Therapeutic storytelling revisited. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61, 149-162.
On promoting adaptive self-criticism in psychotherapy
Citation: Bergner, R. (2007). On promoting adaptive self-criticism in psychotherapy. In E. Chang (Ed.), Self-criticism and self-enhancement. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
The many secure knowledge bases of psychotherapy
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2006). The many secure knowledge bases of psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 69, 215-232.
Status dynamic treatment of a case of bulimia
Citation: Bergner, R. (2005). Status dynamic treatment of a case of bulimia. Clinical Case Studies, 4, 295-303.
An integrative framework for psychopathology and psychotherapy
Citation: Bergner, R. (2004). An integrative framework for psychopathology and psychotherapy. New Ideas in Psychology, 22, 127-141.
Sexual compulsion as attempted recovery from degradation.
Citation: Bergner, R. (2002). Sexual compulsion as attempted recovery from degradation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 373-387.
What is “behavior?” And why is it not reducible to biological states of affairs?
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2016). What is “behavior?” And why is it not reducible to biological states of affairs? Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 36, 41-55.
The case against the case of free will
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Citation: Bergner, R. (2018).The case against the case against free will. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology,38, 77-90.
The problem of other possible persons: Dolphins, primates, and aliens
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Citation: Schwartz, W. (1982). The problem of other possible persons: Dolphins, primates, and aliens. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2, (pp. 139-194). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The creator and the discoverer
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Citation: Shideler, M.M. (1982) The creator and the discoverer. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp, 233-247). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Castaneda’s Don Juan as psychotherapist
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Citation: Farber, A. (1981). Castaneda’s Don Juan as psychotherapist. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 279-304). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Marital conflict resolution: A conceptual framework and its empirical evaluation
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Citation: Bergner, R. (1981). Marital conflict resolution: A conceptual framework and its empirical evaluation. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 305-320). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Policies for pragmatic psychotherapy
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Citation: Driscoll, R. (1981). Policies for pragmatic psychotherapy. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 273-277). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Consciousness
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Plotkin, W. (1981). Consciousness. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 211-237). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Communities
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Putman, A.O. (1981). Communities. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 195-209). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
A new paradigm for artificial intelligence
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Jeffrey, H.J. (1981). A new paradigm for artificial intelligence. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 177-194). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
On the interpretation of utterances
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Citation: Mitchell, T. (1981). On the interpretation of utterances. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 155-176). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The lover and the logician
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Citation: Shideler, M. (1981). The lover and the logician. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 145-154). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Mental disorder is a disability concept, not a behavioral one. An empirical investigation
Citation: Bergner, R., & Bunford, N. (2017). Mental disorder is a disability concept, not a behavioral one. An empirical investigation. Philosophy, Psychiatry,and Psychology, 24, 25-40.
A parametric analysis of socioeconomic status: How SES relates to mental health.
Citation: Kennedy, P.M. (2018). A parametric analysis of socioeconomic status: How SES relates to mental health. (Unpublished doctoral paper). University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Abstract: The impacts of socioeconomic status (SES) on physical health and mental health are well-established in research literature. Chronic stress, environmental factors, and social factors such as educational attainment and low social connection contribute to decreased physical and psychological health. However, the explicit definition of what constitutes SES remains unclear. In this project, a parametric analysis of socioeconomic status examines the range of facts associated with being in different socioeconomic statuses. The parametric analysis aims to provide a clear and comprehensive conceptual formulation of socioeconomic status and helps to delineate how different socioeconomic statuses can shift a person’s place in the world. The brief examination of four clinical cases supports the analysis and provides a context for its utility. Socioeconomic status can be seen to fundamentally shape a person’s experience of and perspective on the world. This conceptual tool can assist clinicians in identifying when socioeconomic status is overly restrictive on a person’s world along with specifying which parameters of socioeconomic status are at play in their clients’ lives. It also allows for a more precise and comprehensive description of SES in different cultural contexts.
Keywords: Socioeconomic status, social class, poverty, parametric analysis, descriptive psychology, culturally competent treatment
This Doctoral Paper was supervised by Lynett Henderson Metzger (Chair), Sonja Holt, Ph.D., & Arthur Poczwardowski, Ph.D.
The Status Dynamics of Anger Management
Citation: Zeybekoglu, E. (2016). The status dynamics of anger management.
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Psychology. Boston, MA: William James College.
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Abstract: Cognitive-Behavioral Anger Management has become a popular treatment option for court-mandated referrals that present with aggressive behavior. However, many individuals that complete anger management courses recidivate to violence. To help us understand their reasons for recidivism, this doctoral project will suggest that we must first understand the cultural sanctions for aggressive thoughts and behavior in their world-view. The thesis of this Doctoral Project will argue that a person’s place, or status, within a community provides significance to their appraisal of events that elicit anger. Instances where aggressive behaviors are thought to follow from the affective arousal of anger are re-described as having a relational appraisal, not only to the object of anger, but also to the broader community and culture in which both the person and object are embedded. This will involve a review of existing evidence-based anger management interventions, an examination of theoretical works regarding emotion and emotional behavior, and finally, a re-conceptualization of anger management techniques interpreted through the lens of Descriptive Psychology. Utilizing a conceptually clear descriptive framework to integrate what is known to be clinically effective from existing anger management modalities, this Doctoral Project will conclude by providing a new framework for understanding anger that should help clinicians in developing an empathetic and conceptually accurate formulation when working with Anger Management clients.
This Doctoral Project was supervised by Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
A high power-low power account of self- criticism
Citation: Latham, C. A. (1983). A high power-low power account of self- criticism. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45, 3075B-3076B. (University Microfilms No. DA8428662)
The Dropped Out: Redescribing chronic mental illness as a question about communities
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Click here for a full text PDF, as published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
The Citation for the copy published by Descriptive Psychology Press is:
Orvik, J.M. (1992). The dropped out: Redescribing chronic mental illness as a question about communities. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 271-297). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
A bulimic life pattern
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Citation: Marshall, K.M. (1992). A bulimic life pattern. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and
Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 257-269). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A conceptualization of a bulimic life pattern is presented. Some treatment alternatives that focus on improving Critic functioning, decreasing existing Critic
satisfactions and on increasing Actor functioning and satisfaction are outlined.
Psychotherapy with adolescents and their families: A status dynamic approach
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (1992). Psychotherapy with adolescents and their families: A status dynamic approach. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical
Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 235-256). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Brief case formulations of a variety of presenting problems of adolescents are described. The concept of a family is discussed, and images and exercises useful in treating adolescents and their families are presented. The problem formulations, images, and exercises illustrate the kind of understanding and behavior potential that is generated for therapists, teenagers, and their families by an adequate conceptualization of adolescence (Roberts, 1991).
Personality and manic states: A status dynamic formulation of bipolar disorder
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Citation: Wechsler, R. (1991). Personality and Manic States: A Status Dynamic Formulation of Bipolar Disorder. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical
Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 203-233). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A psychological formulation of manic-depressive disorder is presented which complements the biological theories; biological theories alone cannot account for either the variability of the manic cycles or the specific nature of the
manic’s behaviors. Manics are proposed to have a self-concept which makes a loss of status unthinkable in certain domains of their lives. When such a loss occurs, the manic episode is a manifestation of the interaction between psychologically-determined efforts to recoup that status, through an escalating cycle of attempts at self-affirmation, and biologically-determined acceleration of thought and behavior. The personality characteristics of manics are directly related to the onset, course,
symptomatology, and psychotherapy of the disorder.
The positive therapeutic relationship: An accreditation perspective
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Citation: Bergner, R.M., & Staggs, J. (1992). The Positive Therapeutic Relationship: An Accreditation Perspective. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical
Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 185-201). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A positive therapeutic relationship may beneficially be enacted by the therapist assigning certain statuses to the client, and steadfastly treating him or her accordingly. These statuses include: one who is acceptable, who makes sense, whose best interests come first, who is significant, who already has strengths, who is to be given the benefit of the doubt, who is an ally and collaborator, who is an agent, and who is a fellow status assigner. Therapists must ensure that their status assignments are both recognized and accepted by clients; and must present themselves in such a manner as to establish, maintain, and repair if necessary their own eligibility to
function as assigners of such statuses.
A conceptual framework for eclectic psychotherapy
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1992). A Conceptual Framework for Eclectic
Psychotherapy. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics:
Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family
Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 137-157). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In this paper, a Descriptive Psychologically based framework for an
eclectic approach to psychopathology and psychotherapy will be introduced. The
paper comprises four parts. First, Ossorio’s definition of pathology and some
clarifications of this will be presented. Second, the parametric formulation of
behavior will be reviewed, and the ways in which it can be used as the conceptual
basis for an eclectic framework will be shown. Third, a pragmatic view of the nature of therapy, one which follows directly from the deficit model of pathology, will be
outlined. Fourth, many favored explanatory forms of our historically dominant
theories of pathology and therapy will be shown to constitute special cases within the present superordinate, eclectic framework.
Introduction
(to Part III. Clinical Topics)
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Citation: Bergner, R.M., & Roberts, M.K. (1992).Introduction. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 127-136). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Relational qualities as factors in mate selection decisions
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Citation: Bretscher, F., & Bergner, R.M. (1992). On the Relational Qualities as Factors in Mate Selection Decisions. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 107-123). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The range of relationship factors that enter into persons’ mate selection decisions has been insufficiently articulated. Similarity, rewardingness, and
complementarity have been examined amply, while other factors have been ignored. In this research, 12 relationship factors, those articulated in Davis and Todd’s (1982) analysis of romantic love, are examined as considerations in mate selection decisions. These include mutual advocacy, enjoyment, intimacy, understanding, exclusiveness, trust, acceptance, respect, authenticity, fascination, sexual desire, and giving the
utmost. Two basic findings were obtained. First, all but one of the Davis and Todd factors were rated by subjects as very important to them in considering prospective mates, and as more important than similarity, complementarity, and rewardingness. Second, discriminant function analysis revealed that five of the Davis and Todd
factors successfully discriminated which relationships subjects ultimately chose and which they terminated; only similarity among the traditional variables did so.
On the outside looking In: A conceptualization of adolescence
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (1992). On the Outside Looking In: A Conceptualization of Adolescence. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 79-105). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide a fundamental formulation of the
phenomenon of adolescence. In order to achieve this aim, the concepts of status,
rational behavior, and status change are presented. In light of these concepts,
adolescence may be described in terms of the development of adult competence. A person paradigmatically develops from being a very limited individual (i.e., a child), in need of help from others to make appropriate choices, into a competent adult,
capable of making effective discriminations, evaluations, and decisions on his or her own. Adolescence may also be described as a time of status change. A person
develops from a child whose primary status is in the family into an adult who can take his or her place in society.
The Founding of the Society for Descriptive Psychology
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Citation: Shideler, M.M. (1992). The Founding of the Society for Descriptive Psychology. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6 (pp. 3-7). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Companions of uncertain status
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Click here for the full text PDF, as published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
The citation for the version of this paper published by Descriptive Psychology Press is:
Roberts, M.K. (1992). Companions of uncertain status. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 6, (pp. 33-77). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
The status of persons or who was that metaphor
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Citation: Holmes, J.R. (1992). The status of persons or who was that Mmetaphor. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 6, (pp. 15-35). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In the present paper, the development of mechanistic metaphors in behavioral science during the past three hundred years is described briefly. The ways in which metaphors can both illuminate and obscure our view of persons and their behavior is discussed. Ossorio’s (1969) formulation of a person as an individual whose history is paradigmatically a history of deliberate action is introduced as a substantial departure from attempts to identify the nature of man. A number of the possible effects of having this formulation are proposed and discussed.
Introduction
(to Part II. Conceptual Foundations)
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. & Bergner, R.M. (1992). Introduction. In M.K. Roberts, & R.M. Bergner, (Eds.). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6
(pp. 11-14). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Father-daughter incest: Degradation and recovery from degradation
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1990). A Father-Daughter Incest: Degradation and Recovery from Degradation. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 285-305). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Father-daughter incest is a degradation. The purposes of this paper are (a) to articulate the concept of degradation, (b) to show precisely how the incestuous involvement of a child constitutes a degradation, and (c) to exploit the heuristic suggestiveness of this way of viewing incest by describing numerous therapeutic strategies which may be employed to help incest survivors to recover from their degradation.
Impulsive action and impulsive persons: A descriptive and pragmatic formulation
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1990). Impulsive Action and Impulsive Persons: A Descriptive and Pragmatic Formulation. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 261-284). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In this report, an alternative account of impulsive actions and impulsive persons is presented. This account seems to me both to better fit many easily observable facts about such persons and acts, and to heuristically suggest more and better courses of psychotherapeutic action than do most of our prevailing views. The present account has as its core conception the simple notion that impulsive behavior is straightforwardly a special case of rational, intentional action which entails, like any other such action, an individual acting on that which be has stronger reason to act on. From this core notion, I proceed (a) to consider some of these stronger reasons to act, (b) to develop an extensive list of constraining reasons which impulsive individuals are often observed to lack, and (c) to develop an explanation of why impulsive persons act as they do in so precipitous a fashion.
A high power – low power account of gender differences in self-criticism
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Citation: Latham, C.A. (1990). A High Power – Low Power Account of Gender
Abstract: In this study, gender differences in self-criticism are investigated utilizing the concept of high power-low power from Descriptive Psychology. High power-low power refers to a particular type of complementary relationship. The high power position involves initiating and terminating projects and plans, setting standards and evaluating progress, making decisions and insisting on certain things. The low power position involves selectively encouraging, implementing, elaborating, and interpreting decisions. It was assumed that in mixed-sex relationships, males are typically in the high power position and females are in the low power position. Hypotheses included (1) that being in a low power position leads to more self-criticism in females than in males, (2) that males are more likely than females to reject the low power position. Each of the above hypotheses was partially supported by the results. No support was obtained for the additional hypotheses that females are more self-critical, and more criticized by others, when in a high power position. One hundred and twelve subjects completed a questionnaire that presented stories depicting a male and female in a high power-low power relationship completing tasks in the female domain and in the male domain. Subjects rated the likelihood of responses that both persons in the stories may have had. Measures of self-criticism and rejection of the power position were derived from the likelihood ratings. The situational context of the high powerlow power relationship must be taken into account in understanding men’s and women’s tendencies toward self-criticism.
A status dynamic formulation of sex roles: Putting sex roles in their place
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Citation: Sapin, C.R. & Forward, J.R. (1990). A status dynamic formulation of sex roles: Putting sex roles in their place. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 215-236). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: One major problem with theories of androgyny as alternatives to traditional sex role approaches is that androgyny is still defined in terms of traditional sex role descriptors. A Status Dynamic approach to sex differences is presented that accounts for both sex-typed and non-sex-typed behavior as an alternative to current efforts to describe non-sex-typed behavior as a mixture of sex-typed behaviors. Several critical distinctions between the concepts of status and role are discussed, and a reformulation of the concept of sex role as part of the more comprehensive concept of status is suggested. Preliminary research is presented which assesses the importance of distinguishing between the Significance and Performance parameters of behavior in appraisals of sex-differences.
Spirituality: The Descriptive Psychology approach
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Citation: Shideler, M.M. (1990). Spirituality: The Descriptive Psychology approach. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 199-213). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: My reading in the domain of spirituality, and my acquaintance with people who have embarked on that way of life, have persuaded me that contemporary spiritual practice has far outstripped its conceptual basis. As a result, further spiritual development is being curtailed, as the progress of astronomy was curtailed by Ptolemaic cosmology. As a contribution toward remedying that deficiency, I present here a Descriptive Psychology articulation of the spiritual domain, an exploration of how we know it, and a discussion of some of the specific problems associated with the study of spirituality and the life of the spirit.
Appraisal and competence in moral judgment and behavior
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Citation: Holt, S.B. (1990). Appraisal and competence in moral judgment and behavior. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 173-197). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Moral judgement is conceptualized within the framework of Descriptive Psychology. This conceptualization provides a set of distinctions for a systematic understanding of moral development and shows that another way to study moral development is to evaluate the extent to which persons have acquired an ethical perspective. The judgement paradigm is used to show the relationship of an ethical perspective to behavior in general, and to distinguish forms of moral dilemma and moral criticism. A competence formulation of moral judgement is presented in contrast to the traditional approaches to moral development, and four components of this competence are described. Appraisal is discussed as it relates to competence in moral judgement and behavior. Finally, this conceptualization is discussed in terms of its implications for research and a general understanding of the systematic aspects of moral judgement.
Appraisal (LRI Report No. 37)
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol V.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1990). Appraisal. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 155-171). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 37. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Knowledge engineering: Theory and practice
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (1990). Knowledge Engineering: Theory and Practice. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 123-146). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The most difficult part of building an expert system (one that models significant human expertise) is knowledge engineering, the art of gathering expert human knowledge and representing it in technically usable form. Since the knowledge engineer’s goal is complete, precise, technically usable representations of human behavior, and Descriptive Psychology is a systematic formulation of the concepts of person, behavior, language, and the real world, one would expect Descriptive Psychology to be very useful in knowledge engineering, and this has proven to be the case. In the last several years considerable experience has been gained in using the formulations of Descriptive Psychology to do knowledge engineering in a variety of areas. This paper presents some of these formulations, and the concepts, approaches, and practices based on them.
Human systems issues in software engineering
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Citation: Zeiger, P.H. (1990). Human systems issues in software engineering. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 105-121). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The architecture, design, and construction of computer software is a human activity. It is intensive in conception, imagination, description, and communication. As such, it is probably the most psychologically oriented of the engineering disciplines. This paper is devoted first to illuminating the salient features of this human activity from the point of view of Descriptive Psychology, with emphasis on the problems peculiar to software engineering. It is devoted secondly to promoting the use of Descriptive Psychology as a tool within the discipline of software engineering to cope with the formidable descriptive tasks encountered there.
Artificial persons
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Citation: Putman, A.O. (1990). Artificial persons. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 81-103). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: An alternative approach to the enterprise of artificial intelligence (AI) is presented. The paper divides naturally into four semi-autonomous sections. The first attempts to delineate the subject matter of AI; it offers specifications for what would qualify as an “artificial person”. The second section explores some of the statuses within our work communities that an artificial person might appropriately fill. The third section, “An Epistemology for Artificial Persons”, takes up issues of real-world knowledge and logic; building on Ossorio’s foundations it suggests a fundamental logical form that is intended in the future to form the basis for a general purpose AI language. The last section, “Some Algorithms of Common Sense”, offers some technically detailed means of handling real-world inference.
Technology transfer and culture change
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Click here to view this publicaition as LRI Report No. 44, available from CU Scholar.
The citation for this publication, as published by Descriptive Psychology Press is:
Orvik, J.M. (1990). Technology transfer and culture change. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 61-80). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
The recommended citation for the copy of the LRI Report, available from CU Scholar is:
Orvik, James M., “Technology Transfer and Culture Change” (1990). Peter G. Ossorio Collection. 44.https://scholar.colorado.edu/ossorio/44
The use of the status concept in developing effective relationships between police chiefs and officers
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Citation: Bergner, L.L. (1990). The Use of the status concept in developing effective relationships between police chiefs and officers. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 47-60). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The concept of status, so well utilized in clinical applications, can also be a powerful
tool in developing the kind of positive, constructive relationships with police officers
that lead to higher quality and quantity work. This article presents three such
applications of the status concept. First, nine policies for treating the officers as
positive status individuals are described. Second, ways in which chiefs can become
effective status assigners are described. Finally, how chiefs can train their supervisors
to be effective status assigners is discussed.
Organizations
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Citation: Putman, A.O. (1990). Organizations. In K.E. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 11-46). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Organizations are among the most important and complex phenomena of the twentieth century. This paper takes a fresh look at organizations both conceptually and pragmatically, using the perspective and conceptual resources of Descriptive Psychology. A detailed paradigm is developed which is rooted in the view of organizations as a particular type of human community. Within this paradigm a number of issues are discussed, ranging from ethical concerns of power and authority to means of distinguishing different worlds within the organization. In a second section of the paper a number of pragmatic concerns of organizations are addressed, including methods for improving productivity, increasing job satisfaction and on-the-job growth, and effectively managing the organization’s mission.
Coaching and teaching
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1998). Coaching and teaching. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 321-340). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This chapter explores the crucial matter of how coaches may obtain the best quality of learning from their players. The chapter is organized around three critical questions, and is devoted to providing sound, comprehensive, and practical answers to each of them: (1) What is the ultimate objective of the learning process in athletics-the “target” toward which all of our teaching efforts should be directed? (2) What are the necessary conditions that coaches must create on their teams if they wish to promote optimum learning? (3) What learning principles and policies should coaches employ if they are to help players to acquire the best possible mastery of the skills and concepts of their sport?
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Coaching and motivation
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1998). Coaching and motivation. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 301-320). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This chapter addresses a critical question confronting all coaches: “What can I do to maximize the likelihood that my players will acquire a personal commitment to excellence?” Rejecting the notion that one could somehow “put” a motive into a player that was not already there, the chapter adopts a position arising out of Peter Ossorio’s therapeutic policies: To motivate players, one must appeal to what already matters to them. Thus, the general recommendation advanced is that coaches strive to create team communities where the satisfaction of many preexisting, vital human motivations is available to team members who commit themselves to becoming the most excellent individual and team players that they are capable of becoming. Motivations discussed include those for recognition, for belongingness, for love, for personal excellence, for the opportunity to display this excellence before admiring others, and for the chance to make a meaningful contribution to a cause.
Leadership in athletic coaching
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1998). Leadership in athletic coaching. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 281-300). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This chapter addresses the question: “What must coaches do, and how must they be, if they are to maximize the probability that their players and assistants will follow them with commitment and dedication?” A comprehensive answer to this question is provided in terms of (a) the creation, communication, and renewal of a meaningful mission; (b) the possession of certain critical personal characteristics by the coach; and (c) the ongoing engagement by the coach in certain actions that create and maintain relationships consistent with followership.
A therapeutic approach to destructive self-criticism
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1998). A therapeutic approach to destructive self-criticism. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 249-273). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Countless psychotherapy clients engage in highly destructive forms of self-criticism. The consequences of such practices for their self-esteem, emotional state, vulnerability to others’ criticisms, ability to change problematic behaviors, and more, are both numerous and dire. In part one of this chapter, three empirically common patterns of such destructive self-criticism, as well as their typical consequences, are described. In part two, some therapeutic concepts and procedures for helping persons to alter debilitating self-critical practices are presented.
Kids interest discovery kits
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Citation: Felknor, C.M. (1998). Kid’s interest discovery kits. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 235-247). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This paper reviews some of the concerns that have been raised about the educational system during the past several decades. Many of these concerns focus on the need for students, especially at-risk students, to take greater responsibility for and to be more actively involved in their education. An educational program which promotes self-directed learning and student responsibility, as well as skill development, is presented. Using a Descriptive Psychology perspective not only illuminates the elements, processes and outcomes of this program, but helps to understand why the program is successful when done well and, also, how it can go wrong.
The acculturation of culturally displaced persons
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Citation: Lubuguin, F.S.A. (1998). The acculturation of culturally displaced persons. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 1627-233). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This study examined the phenomenon of acculturation among FilipinoAmerican immigrants. The phenomenon of acculturation was defined as the achievement by a Culturally Displaced Person of a change in Person Characteristics, as the result of living in the new host culture, in the direction of the Person Characteristics of the Standard Normal Person of the host culture. A broad, systematic, and culturally universal conceptualization of acculturation, based on the Descriptive Psychology approach, explicated the concepts of Culture, the Standard Normal Person, the Culturally Displaced Person, Basic Human Needs, and Acculturation. A hierarchy of Choice Principles (or value statements, policies, and slogans) consisting of three levels (Central, Intermediate, and Peripheral) was formulated. In general, a person acts on Central Choice Principles (CCP’s) by acting on some Intermediate Choice Principles (ICP’s), which in turn are implemented by acting on some Peripheral Choice Principles (PCP’s). The Attraction Model and the Conflict Model were developed to account for the nature of the acculturation process. This study tested the following hypotheses that were generated from the conflict model: (a) PCP’s would change more readily than ICP’s, which in tum would change more readily than CCP’s; (b) high conflict PCP’s would change sooner than low conf1ict PCP’ s; (c) for the first generation immigrant, at least one CCP would increase in importance and would be transmitted to subsequent generations; (d) the endorsement of the host culture’s PCP’s and ICP’s would increase across generations; and (e) the CCP’s across generations were less likely to change and change less than ICP’s and PCP’s. Cultural analyses of Pilipino and American cultures provided the basis for specifying the particular choice principles that were examined. The Perspectives Questionnaire was created and utilized to assess the levels of endorsement of the particular American and Pilipino choice principles. This questionnaire was administered to first and second generation Pilipino Americans, as well as a group of Anglo-Americans. The comparisons within and between these groups yielded results that generally supported the hypotheses and conceptualization. However, the pattern of results suggested that the attraction model was more applicable than the cont1ict model in this population.
Being, becoming and belonging
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Citation: Putman, A.O. (1998). Being, becoming and Belonging. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 127-160). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: “Doing” has been the primary intellectual concern of psychologists
– including Descriptive Psychologists – in the 20th century, but “doing” is not the only aspect of the Person concept which warrants attention. This paper concerns
itself with three domains which have been less extensively articulated within the
Descriptive Psychology canon: being, becoming and belonging. Conceptual and
practical links are articulated between each domain and the others (“being” informs “belonging” in various ways, and vice versa, for example), to “Person”, and to “doing” in its various forms. Some of the material here is already part of the common canon in Descriptive Psychology; the rest is meant to be original contributions by the author.
Kurosawa’s relativity
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (1998). Kurosawa’s relativity. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, (pp. 107-125). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Akira Kurosawa is a Japanese film maker who is known as “the master of relativity.” Two of his films, Rashomon and Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, are analyzed using concepts from Descriptive Psychology. Questions about what the relativity problem means to Kurosawa, how the problem plays out in his dreams and in his life, and why he is unable to solve it, are examined.
Consciousness, experience, and a person’s world
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (1998). Consciousness, experience, and a Person’s world. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 7, (pp. 67-106). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: An approach to conceptualizing, analyzing, and formally representing the phenomenon of consciousness is developed. The basis of the approach is the State of Affairs System. The State of Affairs System formulation provides a conceptual and technical basis for formal, rigorous, but non-reductionist descriptions of the real world, including a person acting in the world. With this formulation, consciousness can be formulated as C = <1, W, P>, where I is the individual whose consciousness this is, W is the world the person is conscious of, and P is the position in that world that the person is conscious as. Experience and feelings are shown to be aspects of the relationship between a person and their world, specifically of the unique position a person occupies in their world. A Consciousness Change Formula is presented, which specifies in terms of actions and worlds the principles that govern consciousness change. The formulation is used to address (I) how consciousness arises, (2) the physical basis for consciousness, (3) the rigorous but non-reductionist scientific study of consciousness, and ( 4) the possibility of computer-based consciousness.
Cognition without processes
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (1998). Cognition without processes. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7 (pp. 33-66). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A different approach to cognition that does not rely on “mental processes” is presented. Based on the premise that a person distinguishes some part of the real world, which may be specified completely and in detail via Object, Process, or State of Affairs descriptions, we show that “mental” or “cognitive” structures and processes are unnecessary and in fact are not even explanations. Information processing descriptions are encodings, in process language, of achievement descriptions. We show that cognitive tasks are more fully, accurately, and parsimoniously conceptualized and described as achievements, specifically the achievement of the tasks and subtasks codified in the Object, Process, and State of Affairs Units. This allows us to address the issues of interest to cognitive psychologists while avoiding the logical difficulties of the traditional “underlying process” approach. The approach expands the field of inquiry for cognitive scientists, allowing scientific investigation of a much wider range of cognitive phenomena. Finally, we discuss implications for diagnosing and treating a number of cognitive disorders.
What there is, how things are
(LRI Report No. 49a)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1998). What there is, How things are. In H.J. Jeffrey and R. M. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 7, (pp. 7-32). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1996 as LRI Report No. 49a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Seminar on Positive Health and Transcendental Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio Vol. VIII
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Click here to download a PDF of the 2014 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press as Seminar on positive health and transcendental theories: The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. VIII.
Citation:
The citation for the 2014 book is:
Ossorio, P.G. (1977, 2014). Seminar on Positive Health and Transcendental Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VIII). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio Vol. IX
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Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2015 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press as Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IX.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1977, 2015). Personality and Personality Theories: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol.IX). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1978 as LRI Report No. 16. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
A new formulation of humor
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Citation: Littmann, J.R. (1983). A new formulation of humor. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 183-207). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The Miss Marple Model of Psychological Assessment
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Citation: Zeiger, C.A. (1992). The Miss Marple model of psychological assessment. In M. Roberts and R. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 6. Clinical topics: Adolescent-family problems, bulimia, chronic mental illness, and mania (pp. 159-183). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The Agatha Christie detective, Miss Jane Marple, is used as a model for a particular method of doing psychological assessment. The paper demonstrates how this seemingly loose, intuitive, and informal approach is supported by a formal conceptual system. The underlying structure is delineated using concepts and tools from Descriptive Psychology. The model is articulated in terms of its procedural and conceptual features, as well as personal characteristics of the person using it.
The positive-health developmental model of treatment and psychopathology
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Citation: Vanderburgh, J. (1985). The positive-health developmental model of treatment and psychopathology. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 281-302). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The positive-health developmental model
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Citation: Vanderburgh, J. (1983). The positive-health developmental model. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 271-298). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Puerto Rican and Anglo conceptions of appropriate mental health services
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Citation: Torres, W. (1983). Puerto Rican and Anglo conceptions of appropriate mental health services. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 147-169). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
What actually happens to Jose: Chicano freshmen in a predominantly Anglo university
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Citation: Silva, J. (1983). What actually happens to Jose: Chicano freshmen in a predominantly Anglo university. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 119-145). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The priest and the psychotherapist
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Citation: Shideler, M. (1983). The priest and the psychotherapist. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 229-242). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The two concepts of action and responsibility in psychoanalysis
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Citation: Schwartz, W. (1984). The two concepts of action and responsibility in psychoanalysis. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 32.
Men and women: Partners, lovers, friends
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Citation: Roberts, M. (1982). Men and women: Partners, lovers, friends. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp. 57-58). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
I and Thou: A study of personal relationships
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Citation: Roberts, M. (1985). I and Thou: A study of personal relationships. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 231-256). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Worlds and world reconstruction
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Citation: Roberts, M. (1985). Worlds and world reconstruction. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 17-52). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
A conceptualization of hypnosis: II. Hypnotic induction procedures and manifestations of the hypnotic state
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Citation: Plotkin, W., & Schwartz, W. (1985). A conceptualization of hypnosis: II. Hypnotic induction procedures and manifestations of the hypnotic state. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 75-98). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
A conceptualization of hypnosis: I. Exploring the place of appraisal and anomaly in behavior and experience
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Citation: Plotkin, W., & Schwartz, W. (1982). A conceptualization of hypnosis: I. Exploring the place of appraisal and anomaly in behavior and experience. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp. 139-194). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Status management: A theory of punishment and rehabilitation (LRI Report No. 25)
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Ossorio, P., & Sternberg, B. (1997). Status management: A theory of punishment and rehabilitation. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. 2. Essays on clinical topics (pp. 195-214). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Originally published as LRI Report #25. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Pathology (LRI Report No. 34a)
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Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
It was originally published as:
Ossorio, P. (1985/1997). Pathology. In P. Ossorio (Ed.), The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. 2. Essays on clinical topics (pp. 1-70). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. [Originally published in K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Volume 4, pp. 151-200). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1983 as LRI Report No. 34a. Boulder, CO. Linguistic Research Institute.)
Scenarios of “alcoholic” relationships
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Citation: Marshall, K. (1985). Scenarios of “alcoholic” relationships. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 259-278). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Stress and health in a Colorado coal mining community
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Citation: Lasater, L. (1983). Stress and health in a Colorado coal mining community. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp.95-117). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Attempted suicide and restrictions in the eligibility to negotiate personal characteristics
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Citation: Kirsch, N. (1982). Attempted suicide and restrictions in the eligibility to negotiate personal characteristics. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp. 249-273). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Pragmatic psychotherapy
Citation: Driscoll, R. (1984). Pragmatic psychotherapy. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Self-criticism: Analysis and treatment
Citation: Driscoll, R. (1981). Self-criticism: Analysis and treatment. In K. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 321-356). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Friendship and love relationships
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Citation: Davis, K., & Todd, M. (1982). Friendship and love relationships. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp. 79-119). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
The positive therapeutic relationship as accreditation
Citation: Bergner, R. & Staggs, J. (1987) The positive therapeutic relationship as accreditation. Psychotherapy, 24, 315-320.
Sexual misunderstanding: A descriptive and pragmatic formulation
Citation: Bergner, R. , & Bergner, L. (1990). Sexual misunderstanding: A descriptive and pragmatic formulation. Psychotherapy, 27, 34-38.
The marital system of the hysterical individual
Citation: Bergner, R. (1977). The marital system of the hysterical individual. Family Process, 16, 85-95.
Transforming presenting problems
Citation: Bergner, R. (1979). Transforming presenting problems. Rational Living, 14, 13-16.
The use of systems oriented illustrative stories in marital psychotherapy
Citation: Bergner, R. (1979). The use of systems oriented illustrative stories in marital psychotherapy. Family Therapy, 6, 109-118.
The overseer regime: A descriptive and practical study of the obsessive compulsive personality style
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Citation: Bergner, R. (1981). The overseer regime: A descriptive and practical study of the obsessive compulsive personality style. In K. Davis, (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1 (pp. 245-271). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Recasting victims as perpetrators
Citation: Bergner, R. (1981). Recasting victims as perpetrators. The Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 1, 1-9.
Couple therapy for histrionic clients and their spouses
Citation: Bergner, R. (1982). Couple therapy for histrionic clients and their spouses. In H. Millman, J. Huber, and D. Diggins (Eds.), Therapies for adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hysterical action, impersonation, and caretaking roles
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Citation: Bergner, R. (1982). Hysterical action, impersonation, and caretaking roles. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2 (pp, 233-247). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Emotions: A conceptual formulation and its clinical implications
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Citation: Bergner, R. (1983) Emotions: A conceptual formulation and its clinical implications. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3 (pp. 209-227). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Paranoid style: A descriptive and pragmatic account
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Citation: Bergner, R. (1985). Paranoid style: A descriptive and pragmatic account. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4 (pp. 203-229). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Undoing degradation
Citation: Bergner, R. (1987) Undoing degradation. Psychotherapy, 24, 25-30.
Status dynamic psychotherapy with depressed individuals
Citation: Bergner, R. (1988). Status dynamic psychotherapy with depressed individuals. Psychotherapy, 25, 266-272.
Money’s ‘Lovemap’ account of the paraphilias: A critique and reformulation
Citation: Bergner, R. (1988). Money’s ‘Lovemap’ account of the paraphilias: A critique and reformulation. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 42, 254-259.
Proposal for an eclectic framework
Citation: Bergner, R. (1991). Proposal for an eclectic framework. Journal of Integrative and Eclectic Psychotherapy, 10, 3, 295-318.
Psychopathology and psychotherapy from a Descriptive Psychological point of view
Citation: Bergner, R. (1993). Psychopathology and psychotherapy from a Descriptive Psychological point of view. In R. Bergner (Ed.), Studies in psychopathology: The Descriptive Psychology approach (pp. 3-17). Ann Arbor: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Studies in psychopathology: The Descriptive Psychology approach
Citation: Bergner, R. (Ed.) (1993). Studies in psychopathology: The Descriptive Psychology approach. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Victims into perpetrators
Citation: Bergner, R. (1993). Victims into perpetrators. Psychotherapy, 30, 3, 452-462.
The use of a recent formulation of bulimia nervosa in the successful treatment of a bulimic woman
Citation: Bergner, R. (1997). The use of a recent formulation of bulimia nervosa in the successful treatment of a bulimic woman. Family Therapy, 24, 71-79.
What is psychopathology? And so what?
Citation: Bergner, R. (1997). What is psychopathology? And so what? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 4, 235-248.
Self-criticism
Citation: Bergner, R. (1998). Self-criticism. In J. Jeffrey & R. Bergner, (Eds.). Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 7, (pp. 249-276). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Therapeutic approaches to problems of meaninglessness
| Video | Click here to view the full video of this presentation. |
| Presenter | Ray Bergner, Ph.D. |
| Date | September 29, 2023 |
| Abstract: | In this presentation, I will describe therapeutic approaches to problems of meaninglessness that beset many clients. The presentation will include: (a) a conceptual formulation of meaningful action and, by extension, meaningful living; (b) a delineation of some common obstacles to meaning exhibited by clients; and (c) some therapeutic recommendations for addressing these obstacles. |
| Related Papers |
1. Bergner, R. (1998). Therapeutic approaches to problems of meaninglessness. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 52, 1-16. 2. Yalom, I. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic. 3. Frankl, V. (1969). The will to meaning. New York: World. 4. Bergner, R. (2005). World reconstruction in psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 59, 1-17. 5. Bergner, R. (2010). The Tolstoy dilemma: A paradigm case formulation and some therapeutic interventions. In K. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 9, pp.143-160). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. |
Characteristics of an optimal clinical case formulation
Citation: Bergner, R. (1998). Characteristics of an optimal clinical case formulation. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 52, 287-300.
Status enhancement: An enriching path to therapeutic change
Citation: Bergner, R. (1999). Status enhancement: A further path to therapeutic change. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 53, 201-214.
Self-concepts and self-concept change: A status dynamic formulation
Citation: Bergner, R., & Holmes, J. (2000). Self-concepts and self-concept change: A status dynamic formulation. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 37, 36-44.
Therapeutic social practices
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Citation: Baker, E. (1982). Therapeutic social practices. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 2, (pp. 209-230). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Refugees: Cultural displacement and its effects
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Citation: Aylesworth, L., & Ossorio, P. (1983). Refugees: Cultural displacement and its effects. In K. Davis and R. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 3, (pp. 45-92). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Doing it all isn’t everything: A woman’s guide to harmony and empowerment
Citation: Allen-Zeiger, C., & Allen, S. (1992). Doing it all isn’t everything: A woman’s guide to harmony and empowerment Austin, TX: New Perspectives Press.
Homo Communitatis: A rigorous foundation for behavioral finance
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (2010). Homo Communitatis: A rigorous foundation for behavioral finance. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228788898_Homo_Communitatis_A_Rigorous_Foundation_for_Behavioral_Finance.
There is something new in the world of social science conceptualizations: A review of Place
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (2013). There is something new in the world of social science conceptualizations: A review of Place. The Journal of Social Psychology, 153, 623-628.
The Irrationality illusion: A new paradigm for economics and behavioral economics
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2013). The Irrationality illusion: A new paradigm for economics and behavioral economics. The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 14:3, 161-194.
Abstract: A new conceptual and formal framework for analyzing economic decisions, the homo communitatis paradigm, is introduced. The framework is in the form of seven principles, which collectively articulate the entire range of factors that affect choice, including all aspects of individual behavior and of the social context—the communities—the actor is a member of. Traditional economic analysis is shown to be a special case of homo communitatis analysis in which key variables are omitted. Using the principles, we show that experimental results such as loss aversion, framing effects, mental accounting, and judgment biases are not irrational and that the apparent irrationality is in every case an illusion arising from incomplete specification and control of independent variables elucidated in the principles. Several implications for future work are discussed, including high-fidelity models of socioeconomic systems, significantly more powerful and detailed economics simulations, and adoption of significantly different approach to design of economic experiments, one that takes into account all the variables involved in human choice.
Status dynamics: An enriching path to therapeutic change
Relationships in the real world: The Descriptive Psychology approach to personal relationships
Citation: Davis K.E., & Roberts M.K. (1999). Relationships in the real world: The Descriptive Psychology approach to personal relationships. In Gergen K.J. & Davis K.E. (Eds.), The Social Construction of the Person. Springer Series in Social Psychology. New York: Springer.
Automated classification of resolved galaxies
Citation: Ossorio, P. & Kurtz, M. (1989). Automated classification of resolved galaxies. Data analysis in astronomy, 40, 121-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5646-2_13
Where the action is
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1972/1973). Where the action is. Contemporary psychology, 25, 950. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/019434
Persons, Behavior, and the World: The Descriptive Psychology Approach
Citation: Shideler, M.M. (1988). Persons, Behavior, and the World: The Descriptive Psychology Approach. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Click here for more related work by Dr. Jeffrey…
Depression doesn’t always have to be depressing
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Citation: Holmes, J.R. (2013). Depression doesn’t always have to be depressing. Pensacola, FL.: Pensacola Pelican Press, Inc.
Click here for a bibliography of Descriptive Psychology dissertations, 1965 through 1988
Trauma concepts: A descriptive psychological formulation of the nature of trauma and its consequences
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Citation: Wechsler, R.C. (2013). Trauma concepts: A descriptive psychological formulation of the nature of trauma and its consequences. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 149-174). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In this chapter, I seek to answer four questions about psychological trauma that have not been properly conceptualized. They are: (a) What is psychological trauma? (b) Why do some people get traumatized and others do not? (c) Why do the symptoms of PTSD take the specific forms that they do? And finally, (d) What is the role of physiology in creating or perpetuating the condition? In addressing these questions, I shall be drawing upon the conceptual resources of Descriptive Psychology, among which are the conceptual device of Paradigm Case Formulations, the formulation of pathology as disability, and the concept of a person’s World and how it is related to his/her self-concept. The resulting clarifications will lay the foundation for a later elucidation and integration of approaches to therapy with PTSD victims.
The parameters of empathy: Core considerations for psychotherapy and supervision
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Citation: Schwartz, W. (2013). The parameters of empathy: Core considerations for psychotherapy and supervision. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 197-212). Ann
Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A theory neutral and pre-empirical formulation of empathy as empathic action is presented as a basic feature of shared social practice, a core social competence, always more or less present if a person is to adequately engage with others. The conceptual tools of Paradigm Case Formulation and Parametric Analysis are employed to clarify the “more or less” quality of empathy and to provide a format to map agreement and disagreement on meanings. The paradigm case is described as the communication of the recognition of the significance of another person’s ongoing intentional actions and emotional states in a manner that the other person can tolerate. The parametric analysis involves the parameters of Wants, Knows, Knows-How, Significance, Performance, Achievement, Identity and Personal Characteristics.
The Nefarious “is”
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2013). The Nefarious “is”. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 261-271). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The simple word “is” has been noted since ancient times for its slipperiness. Three of its uses — the genus-species “is”, the predicative “is”, and the “is” of identity — are discussed in this paper. For each kind of “is”, historical sketches are given to provide background and perspective, and examples are presented from the Person Concept.
Knowing the world
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2013). Knowing the world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10, (pp. 37-54). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: How do we know the world? Paradigmatic answers to that question include knowing what God reveals to us through divine illumination, knowing what we discover through scientific observation and evidence, and knowing what it calls for by way of behavior. What is it to be in contact with the world? And how do we know a dream? The answers to those questions depend on the paradigm for knowledge that is taken as fundamental. The use of the behavioral paradigm is illustrated in analyzing dreams by René Descartes and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
When worlds collide: The source of intractable value problems
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Citation: Putman A.O. (2013). When worlds collide: The source of intractable value problems. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 81-112). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: People differ, much of the time, on matters ranging from the trivial to the profound. Some differences appear intractable, in that none of our known ways of resolving them work, no matter how long or hard we try. This paper uses the conceptual resources of Descriptive Psychology, including “community”, “worlds” and “ultimate satisfaction” to shed light on intractable value problems. These value problems are at core intractable problems of significance. Such problems are not the rare exception; they are inherent and pervasive. Participants in such disputes literally live in significantly different worlds. What ultimately keeps these worlds apart is what ultimately holds each one together.
Leading: Perspectives for leaders and leadership coaches
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Citation: Putman A.O. (2013). Leading: Perspectives for leaders and leadership coaches. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 113-128). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: “Leadership” is among the most widely discussed topics in business and organizational literature, but little consensus exists regarding what leadership is, let alone what is required to lead successfully. This is partly due to the lack of a thorough-going conceptualization of leadership and the domains within which it is exercised. This paper offers just such a conceptualization of “leading”, “leader” and “leadership”, rooted in the powerful conceptual framework known as Descriptive Psychology. Based on this conceptualization, the need and requirements for the role of Leadership Coach is discussed.
At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world
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Citation: Putman A.O. (2013). At a glance and out of nowhere: How ordinary people create the real world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 19-36). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This paper explores in depth the ways in which persons spontaneously create the real world they live in. It offers an appreciation of the material in Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, including his observations on knowing that takes place in the “blink of an eye”, along with a detailed re-formulation of the science underlying it. “Actor” concepts from Descriptive Psychology take the surprise out of Gladwell’s observations and account for them systematically as simply a straightforward statement of what ordinary persons, exercising ordinary competence, do.
We’re off to see the wizard: Politics, charisma, and community change
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Citation: Kantor, C. (2013). We’re off to see the wizard: Politics, charisma, and community change. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10, (pp. 129-148). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The phenomenon of the charismatic leader is explored from the perspectives of the circumstances that give rise to such a status and the significance of these statuses relative to the leader and the leader’s followers. The Ghost Dancers of the Native American West and the Zomians of Southeast Asia are historical particulars that demonstrate the phenomena of societies under threat and the rise of charismatic leaders. The Descriptive concepts of World, World Reconstruction, Culture, Status and Status Assigner are the conceptual anchoring points for this discussion. This paper builds on earlier papers that elaborated the concepts of community, organization, institution, and culture as well as ones elaborating world reformulation. It concludes that a community, indeed a culture, seeks persons who reformulate the community’s world to survive grave threats to its existence.
Suicide and impossible worlds
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Citation: Bergner, R.M., & Bunford, N. (2013). Suicide and impossible worlds. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 55-74). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This chapter has two purposes. The first is to provide an updated, expanded, and clarified discussion of the Descriptive Psychological concept of a person’s “world.” The second is to illustrate worlds thinking by using it to analyze five clinical cases involving suicidal individuals.
Therapeutic policies: A policy-based approach to psychotherapy
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2013). Therapeutic policies: A policy-based approach to psychotherapy. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 175-196). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This paper explores the use of therapeutic policies in the conduct of psychotherapy, and in doing so introduces an alternative way to structure the entire intellectual framework of psychotherapy. Part 1 of the paper explicates the nature of therapeutic policies. Parts 2, 3, and 4 present a large number of representative policies and their rationales. Part 5 discusses the value of policies (a) as common factors in psychotherapy, (b) as embodying an integrative framework, and (c) as lending themselves to enhanced levels of creativity and flexibility in the conduct of psychotherapy.
Characteristics of romantic love: An empirically-based essentialist account
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Citation: Bergner, R.M., Davis, K.E., Saternus, L., Walley, S., & Tyson, T. (2013). Characteristics of romantic love: An empirically-based essentialist account. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 213-234). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The present 4-part study reopens certain basic issues regarding people’s conceptions of romantic love. Evidence collected at two sites with a total of 390 participants supports the following contentions: (1) The concept of romantic love may not be, as widely maintained, a Roschian prototypical term, but may instead be a definable, essentialist one. (2) Foremost among love’s essential characteristics may be “Care for the well-being of the partner for his or her own sake.” (3) The concept of romantic love itself and the concept of a good romantic love relationship may be two related but distinct concepts, the former essentialist and the latter prototypical.
All the world’s a stage: A person-centered view of science
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2013). All the world’s a stage: A person-centered view of science. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, & F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 7-18). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In this paper, an alternative, more person centered view of the nature of science is presented. In the paper, I argue against the currently prevalent scientific outlook which maintains, among other things, that (a) the real world is just the totality of physical states of affairs; (b) it is logically (categorically) independent of us and our human distinctions; and (c) we are essentially spectators whose job it is to understand it. In the paper, several arguments and a final reminder are advanced against this view of science, culminating in a positive view wherein science emerges as a far more person-centered venture and the real world itself emerges as essentially the world of persons and their behavior.
“…the real world is essentially the world of people and their behavior. All the world’s a stage and the non-person portions of it are props which are called for by the drama.”
–P.G. Ossorio, 1998, p. 76.
Gender as one’s eligibility to engage in social practices: Unpacking the relationship between masculinity and intimate partner violence
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Citation: Allen, C. (2013). Gender as one’s eligibility to engage in social practices: Unpacking the relationship between masculinity and intimate partner violence. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, & F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10 (pp. 235-259). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Among men’s studies scholars, violence is a major focus of attention. Research findings of the past two decades indicate that violence is gendered, and can only be understood in the context of gender inequality. And though contemporary theories on men and violence have rejected the notion that violence is a necessary result of being male, the field continues to struggle with the need for a more contextual understanding of men’s relationship to violence. Drawing from Descriptive Psychology and existing paradigms for studying gender and violence, I argue that conceptualizing gender as a status that confers eligibility to engage in some social practices rather than others holds promising potential for explicating masculinity’s relationship to intimate partner violence.
Contributions of Descriptive Psychology to strategies of negotiation: The case of religion and government
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Citation: Singer, H.R., & Zeiger, P. (2010). Contributions of Descriptive Psychology to strategies of negotiation: The case of religion and government. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9 (pp. 431-452). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Many troublesome debates about religion and government spring from the differences among people who have different views regarding when the laws of the land can trump the tenets of their religion. The protocols of the debating society, the scientific discussion, or the court of law are not particularly helpful in such situations because those protocols are aimed at picking a winner among competing candidates. Their contexts include a presumption of win-lose, zero-sum. What is needed in the situations under consideration, in contrast, are ways to agree on actions to be taken that do the least violence to the beliefs and practices of the participants. Methods derived from conceptual analyses inspired by Descriptive Psychology show promise for use in such situations.
On saying “no”: Evidence based practice and the hijacking of the empirical
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Citation: Schwartz, W. (2010). On saying “no”: Evidence based practice and the hijacking of the empirical. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9 (pp. 453-474). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Poorly framed descriptions of psychotherapy serve as a pretext for the requirement that the efficacy of therapy requires demonstration through randomized control trials. Such restriction involves an inadequate conceptualization of the nature of psychotherapeutic engagement but is an understandable reaction to the conceptual confusion that continues to exist in most theories of psychotherapy. Descriptive Psychology is offered as a partial antidote to this problematic state of affairs.
Worlds of uncertain status
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2010). Worlds of Uncertain Status. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9, (pp. 287-319). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The concept of persons as world creators is presented, and reality constraints on real world creation are discussed and illustrated using examples from Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. Dreams and fiction are treated as mediums in which we have freedom from reality constraints, allowing us to explore behavioral possibilities that may change our worlds. A famous dream from Don Quixote is analyzed to reveal the dreamer’s new way of treating the world. The novel itself is analyzed to show the alternative behavioral patterns that Cervantes explored. The significance of these patterns in his life is examined, and the world-changing nature of Don Quixote is discussed.
“Far away, alone in the open Manchegan plain, the lanky figure of Don Quixote bends like an interrogation mark…” (Ortega y Gasset, 1961, p. 101)
An indeterminate and expansive world
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2010). An indeterminate and expansive world. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 9 (pp. 231-256). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The real world is a behavioral world, a totality in which forms of behavior are taken as ultimate, in contrast to worlds in which physical objects, numbers, etc. are taken as ultimate. It is an indeterminate totality, in that we can create new behaviors that change the structure and complexity of everything. The boundary condition for the real world is reality, and the basic form of scientific empiricism is reality-based rather than real-world-based. From a reality-based perspective, acting on phenomena like imaginary numbers and imaginary companions makes sense, and so does acting on scientific theories that later turn out to be imaginary.
An accomplice’s tale
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2010). An accomplice’s tale. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9, (pp. 161-190). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Sensitivity to a range of end of life patterns, as well as a range of afterlife patterns, is seen as essential for appreciating what is happening with a particular person who is dying. The question of what we have to fall back on as we lose our attachment to the real world is addressed. Ordinary mysteries—such as the dreamlike state that the dying may enter, the special abilities that they may have, and the special companions that are visible only to them—are explained. The problem of understanding a person’s death is discussed, and a set of reminders is offered for being with a dying person in an I-Thou way.
Ordinary magic: What Descriptive Psychology is, and why it matters
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Citation: Putman, A.O. (2010). Ordinary magic: What Descriptive Psychology is, and why it matters. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9 (pp. 9-39). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Human competence exercised at its highest levels can look a lot like magic. A person’s core competence—the competence at being a person in a world of persons and their ways—is, like competence in one’s native language, developed naturally in the course of growing from infant to adult. While its exercise is ordinarily adequate in adults, this core competence is essentially “invisible” and taken for granted. Increasing this competence to high levels is greatly facilitated by using the practical and intellectual discipline of Descriptive Psychology to make the “invisible” competence visible, thus describable and open to development. Examples of this “ordinary magic” in performance, relationships and living are given using some conceptual tools of Descriptive Psychology.
Out of nowhere: Thoughts and thinking and world reconstruction (complete version)¹
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2010). Out of Nowhere: Thoughts and Thinking and World Reconstruction (Complete Version). In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 203-230). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
¹This is the text of the paper that Dr. Ossorio prepared for the 1998 Society for Descriptive Psychology meeting. Previously, in Vol. 8 of Advances in Descriptive Psychology, we published a transcription of the paper as actually presented with questions from the audience and with his omissions and condensation of his argument on the fly, so to speak. This version includes the complete text as he wrote it, and thus from [ms. pages 20 through 33] this wording should replace the more informal version contained in the presentation in Vol. 8 from pages 134 to 143.
Teaching culturally competent psychotherapy: A Descriptive Psychology approach
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Citation: Lugbuguin, F. (2010). Teaching culturally competent psychotherapy: A Descriptive Psychology approach. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 41-85). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Providing training in cultural competence is an established and accepted professional standard in graduate programs in clinical psychology, but the implementation of this standard varies significantly in its methodology and effectiveness. This paper applies key relevant concepts and methodologies from the intellectual discipline of Descriptive Psychology (DP) to this meaningful pedagogical endeavor. It is based on courses actually taught by the author, and is not merely a proposed training model. DP concepts and perspectives were used to explicate the foundational notions related to cultural competence per se. Subsequently, particular DP concepts and strategies were employed to enhance the instructional methods for advancing culturally competent awareness, knowledge, and skills. These examples illustrate the compelling power and advantages of applying DP as a conceptual framework instead of as a theoretical orientation, particularly in multicultural psychology, to limit cultural insensitivity and ethnocentrism.
Guilty or not? A Descriptive Psychology analysis
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Citation: Littmann, J.R. (2010). Guilty or Not?
A Descriptive Psychology analysis. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 87-111). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Descriptive Psychology offers powerful conceptual resources to make the forensic evaluation of persons more responsive to questions of essential concern to the court and the human community. As an example of the effectiveness of Descriptive Psychology in forensic assessment, the basic facts of a problematic case are presented, followed by possible verdicts and questions that need to be addressed. A set of relevant concepts from Descriptive Psychology is introduced, and an analysis of the case is given using these concepts. The analysis shows the importance of focusing on what Deliberate Action the person engaged in, and demonstrates the power and effectiveness of a systematic, comprehensive approach to forensic evaluation using Descriptive Psychology resources.
Elucidating Actus Reus and Mens Rea: A Descriptive Psychology perspective
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Citation: Littmann, J.R. (2010). Elucidating Actus Reus and Mens Rea: A Descriptive Psychology perspective. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 409-452). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The legal concepts actus reus and mens rea are foundational in determinations of culpability and guilt for criminal acts, thereby affecting many lives in our society. This paper begins with a brief overview of the concepts of actus reus, and mens rea, followed by presentation of several resources from Descriptive Psychology to elucidate these concepts and enhance our understanding. Resources include the concepts of Persons and Deliberate Action, a parametric analysis of Behavior, and forms of behavior description related to these parameters. The concepts actus reus and mens rea are elucidated using the forms of behavior description. The analysis demonstrates that to a large extent, the question “Was the person guilty?” translates to the question “What deliberate action was it?”
Children’s imaginative play: A descriptive psychology approach
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Citation: Kantor, C. (2010). Children’s Imaginative Play:
A Descriptive Psychology Approach. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 257-285). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The significance of children’s imaginative play is presented from the perspective of Descriptive Psychology and in particular Ossorio’s Dramaturgical model of persons. The fluidity of imaginative play, the imitation of and creation of social practices and options within play as well as the opportunity to switch roles and act according to reasons of another, contribute to the development of judgment. The observer-critic role emerges during imaginative play as children produce, direct, and enact their dramas. Within these scenarios, children develop competence and eligibility to be not only status assigners but also self status assigners. During play, children distinguish the concept of community, create play communities, and develop the eligibility to be members in more then one community simultaneously.
As Snoopy takes aim at the Red Baron, we are taken back to our childhood. We’ve pretended to be Mickey Mantle hitting the game winning homer and we’ve planned and carried out imaginary tea parties. Whether it is our own child playing with action figures, or more recently directing his avatar around World of Warcraft, imagining ourselves as another, playing out these roles, and seemingly renewing ourselves in the process are familiar forms of human activities.
Structure
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Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. (2010). Structure. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 361-3407). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The concept of structure, and the related ones of structural complexity and similarity, are ubiquitous in the sciences, arts, and literature. While they are used routinely and to good effect to gain insight into a very wide range of phenomena, they have never been rigorously defined. Beginning with a unification of Ossorio’s Process, Object, Event, and State of Affairs Units into a single formal Aspect Specification, this article presents a mathematical definition of structure and structural similarity applicable to any aspect of the world—object, process, event, or state of affairs—and a mathematical quantification of structural similarity equally widely applicable. Intentional and deliberate action and communities, core concepts of Descriptive Psychology, are formalized with Aspect Specifications, and Aspect Specifications of actual objects and processes are given. Examples illustrating the calculation of the structural similarity of disparate kinds of things in the world, ranging from human families to intra-cellular organelles, are given.
What is descriptive psychology? An introduction
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2010). What is Descriptive Psychology?
An introduction. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 325-358). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: The purpose of this chapter is to provide an accessible introduction to Descriptive Psychology (“DP”). The chapter includes, in order of presentation, (1) an orientation to the somewhat unorthodox nature of DP; (2) an explication of DP’s four central concepts, those of “Behavior”, “Person”, “Reality”, and “Verbal Behavior”; and (3) a brief listing of some applications of DP to a variety of important topics.
At the risk of offending, I should like in this letter to offer my principle hypothesis regarding why your field has not to date arrived at any manner of broadly accepted, unifying theoretical framework, and has not for this reason realized the scientific potential, importance, and respect it would rightly possess. In brief, I believe this reason to lie in the fact that you have attended insufficiently to the pre-empirical matters essential to good science. You have understood aright the basic truth that science is ultimately concerned with how things are in the empirical world. However, you have neglected the further truth that often, as in my own case, much nonempirical work must be undertaken if we are to achieve our glittering empirical triumphs.
—“An open letter from Isaac Newton to the
field of psychology” (Bergner, 2006, p. 70)
Descriptive Psychology is “a set of systematically related distinctions designed to provide formal access to all the facts and possible facts about persons and behavior—and therefore about everything else as well.”
—Peter G. Ossorio (1982, p. 2)
The Tolstoy dilemma: A paradigm case formulation and some therapeutic interventions
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2010). The Tolstoy dilemma: A paradigm case formulation and some therapeutic interventions. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9. (pp. 143-160). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Some psychotherapy clients report a core life problem in which, like Leo Tolstoy over a century ago, awareness of their inevitable death undermines significantly their sense that life can have meaning. This article presents a paradigm case formulation of these individuals. In it, I shall (a) delineate the beliefs embodied in this Tolstoyan world view, (b) show how each is problematic, (c) formulate alternative and more meaning-generative views of reality that may be promoted by psychotherapists, and (d) proffer a number of specific therapeutic recommendations that have proven helpful in my own work with clients in the grip of this dilemma.
Descriptive metaphysics: On science, religion, and wisdom
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Citation: Colvin, G. (2006). Descriptive Metaphysics: On Science,
Religion, and Wisdom. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 227-246). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Using the Descriptive Psychology concepts of Totalities, Ultimates, and Boundary Conditions, I will briefly survey modern scientific cosmology and physics. I will show that science does provide ultimate explanations for the totality of the
physical universe that may seem to compete with the explanations of religion. But I will also review the Descriptive application of these concepts to theology and
metaphysics to argue that nonetheless science cannot displace religion in a complete account of the world.
What is a person and how can we be sure? A Paradigm Case Formulation
Citation: Schwartz, W.R. (2014). What Is A Person And How Can We Be Sure? A Paradigm Case Formulation. Journal of Evolution and Technology, 24(3), 27-34.
Abstract: A Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF) of Persons is developed that allows competent judges to identify areas of agreement and disagreement regarding where they draw a line on what is to be included as a person. The paradigm case is described as a linguistically competent individual able to engage in Deliberate Action in a Dramaturgical Pattern. Specific attention is given to the ability of paradigm case persons to employ Hedonic, Prudent, Aesthetic and Ethical perspectives in choosing their Deliberate Actions and Social Practices.
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Toward a rapprochement of religion and science
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Citation: Zeiger, P.H. (2006). Toward a rapprochement of religion and science. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 195-225). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: In this article we will explore the domains of religion and science as areas of human activity and understanding. Where are they independent of each other? Where do they overlap, with the resulting opportunity for conflict? How might this conflict, when it occurs, be most productively dealt with, e.g. in ways that benefit both religion and science? The article begins with several currently popular viewpoints on the relationship between religion and science, all mutually (and dramatically) inconsistent. The next major goal will be to make it comprehensible that people living on the same planet could hold all these views, and to do it without putting down the holders of any of those views. Reaching this goal will be facilitated by the resources of Descriptive Psychology (DP), so the exposition will detour through a sketch of what DP is and why it is useful for the task at hand. With the above analysis in hand, the limits of religious pluralism and the overlaps between religion and science will be explored. I hope to convince the reader that (a) the apparent conflict between religion and science, as represented in the popular press, is less serious than might be imagined at first glance, and (b) some of the perceived problems boil down to finding the protocols necessary for co-existing in an atmosphere of religious pluralism — a problem that stands before us independent of any collisions between religion and science. The article will end with what I believe to be the bottom lines for what scientists and religious people must throw away in order for productive dialog to occur, and what they must keep to maintain their integrity.
Ancient companions
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Citation: Roberts, M.K. (2006). Ancient Companions. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 248-265). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Athena appears to Odysseus in seven episodes in The Odyssey. She is his goddess companion, very much like an imaginary companion of childhood, and she appears to him because the consistency requirements of his world are unusually relaxed, his circumstances are optimally conducive to her appearance, and his gain in behavior potential from their relationship is maximal. She is an extraordinary companion because Odysseus excels as a teller of tales and has a place for an exceptionally competent woman.
Stalkers and their worlds
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Citation: Davis, K.E. (2006). Stalkers and their Worlds. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 325-348). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This chapter proposes a synthesis of clinical and forensic studies of stalker types, suggesting that the vast majority of cases can be encompassed by six types. The types are (a) rejected, previously abusive, partner; (b) rejected, nondangerous partner; (c) love obsessional stalker; (d) erotomanic stalker; (e) disorganized, delusional obsessional stalker; and (f ) sadistic stalker. The Paradigm Case methodology, originally developed by Ossorio (1981), is the major tool for delineating the types. The characteristics of each type identified in this analysis are used to delineate potentially successful strategies for treatment of stalkers and the management of cases that currently have poor prognosis for treatment. A successful case application of a status-dynamic world reconstructive therapy (Roberts, 1985) is illustrated for a rejected, nondangerous stalker—one of the most common types (Meloy, 2002; Sheridan & Boone, 2001). These six types and the differential plans for treatment and case management should be helpful both to criminal justice and to mental health personnel. We identify briefly the crucial steps in risk management plans for victims.
Underlying cognitive processes or private social practices?
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2006). Underlying Cognitive Processes or Private Social Practices? In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 175-194). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This paper presents a critique of cognitive psychology’s underlying cognitive process program, as well as suggestions for a more scientifically and pragmatically viable approach. The paper proceeds in the following sequence. First, the mainstream point of view of contemporary cognitive psychology is outlined. Second, its program of searching for nature’s “underlying,” “unconscious,” and in principle unobservable cognitive micro-processes is criticized. Third and finally, cognitive science’s neuropsychology program is discussed, not with respect to the considerable value of what it has and may discover in future, but with respect to the interpretation that would appropriately be placed on its findings. Throughout this discussion, an alternative position, namely, that cognitive processes are best viewed as private or mental versions of human social practices, is advanced.
One bite at a time: A glossary of Descriptive Psychology concepts
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Citation: Stone, C.J. (2017). One bite at a time: A glossary of Descriptive Psychology concepts. http://obaat.euodp.com/
Abstract: In the early 1980s, John M. Carroll was teaching regular folk how to use dedicated word processors such as the IBM Displaywriter. There were lots of new concepts for the learners–and lots of restrictions–and he discovered instruction manuals were written in such a way that they prevented the learners from learning what they needed to know.
To fix this, he developed what’s called minimalist instruction. At the core, everything that needs to be done is treated as a stand-alone piece of information that points to other things that need to be done. You start at your own level of skill, and you only need to read about what you don’t know. In a sort of pre-internet way, the stand-alone pieces were linked together, and you followed the links you needed. (His book about this is named The Nurnberg Funnel: Designing Minimalist Instruction for Practical Computer Skill.)
Descriptive Psychology is a very extensive, highly-elaborated, closely-linked set of concepts. There doesn’t seem to be a best entry point for learning about the concepts and their links, so I decided to put the concepts on individual pages and link them. I expect the reader to move from concept to concept as needed.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time; thus, Descriptive Psychology, One Bite at a Time.
Beyond empirical validation: justifying therapeutic judgment and action
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2006). Beyond Empirical Validation: Justifying Therapeutic Judgment and Action. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 145-173). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Psychotherapy, well and carefully undertaken by
competent individuals adhering to certain practice guidelines, while it can and should benefit from scientific research, rests on many other epistemic foundations, some of which are more certain than the necessarily probabilistic outcomes of psychological research. In this paper, a scale of justified belief is presented. This scale rates the degree of certainty of propositions yielded by different sources of knowledge, and thus the confidence with which we may believe and act upon them. Following the presentation of this scale, an analysis of the degree to which each of these knowledge sources enters into the practice of psychotherapy is developed. In the end, what is proffered here is a view of psychotherapy as a distinctly rational and empirical activity whose judgments and decisions rest, not only on scientific research, but on many further secure foundations.
Out of nowhere
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2006). Out of nowhere. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 108-143>. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Where does my freedom lie?
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Citation: Zeiger, P.H., & Zeiger, C.A. (2006). Where does my freedom lie? In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8, (pp. 82-98). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: Freedom is generally considered a desirable feature of human life: its absence or restriction is often deplored. Yet under certain circumstances it may be considered a burden. What is the source of freedom in our lives? Where do the constraints on it come from? What attitudes might we adopt toward both our freedom of choice and the constraints on it? In this article the resources of Descriptive Psychology are brought to bear on the practical issues raised by these questions.
In a world of persons and their ways
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Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2006). In a world of persons and their ways. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 11-42). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Can psychological science be replaced by biological science?
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Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2006). Can psychological science be replaced by biological science? In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8
(pp. 44-68). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: This paper examines and finds wanting the thesis that psychological concepts and forms of explanation will, with advances in scientific understanding, one day be supplanted by biological ones.
Playing the person game in healthcare
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Citation: Peek, C. J. & Heinrich, R. (2006). Playing the Person Game in Healthcare. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8, (pp. 267-324). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Abstract: A 15-year intervention to better integrate medical and mental health care in a large multispecialty medical group is reviewed. This quest to heal the “mind-body split” in healthcare employs the metaphor of “creating a new game” to help clarify why this task has been so difficult to accomplish in most mainstream healthcare systems and to move existing change strategies to a new level. Integrating care is viewed not as a problem to be solved but as creating a “new game” that eventually becomes a “national pastime” played on “fields” all over the country. Casting current healthcare practice in the game metaphor, the mind-body split in healthcare is characterized as the “organism game” (biomedicine) running in parallel to a “mind game” (mental health), each with its own objectives, rules, players, tools, and playing fields. The problems of forced choice for patients and
clinicians between these two “games” are reviewed and how these games are gradually being integrated into a “person game”, with biomedical and psychosocial factors well integrated by teams of physicians and mental health clinicians.
Severe public humiliation: Its nature, consequences, and clinical treatment
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Citation: Torres, W.J., & Bergner, R.M. (2012). Severe public humiliation: Its nature, consequences, and clinical treatment. Psychotherapy Theory Research Practice Training, 49, 492-501
Abstract: In this paper, we present an analysis of what is involved when our clients undergo severe public humiliation at the hands of another person or persons. We describe (a) the structure of such humiliation; i.e., the factors that, taken collectively, render certain interpersonal events and circumstances humiliating ones for people; (b) the most common damaging consequences of being subjected to these, up to and including suicide and homicide; and (c) a number of therapeutic interventions that have proven effective in our own work with humiliated clients, as well as certain obstacles we have encountered in this work.
Humiliation: Its nature and consequences
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Citation: Torres, W.J. & Bergner, R.M. (2010). Humiliation: Its nature and consequences. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 38, 195–204
Abstract: In this article, we present a new analysis of what is involved when individuals undergo
We describe the structure of humiliation—that is, the factors that, taken collectively, render certain
circumstances humiliating; the most common destructive consequences of being subjected to them; and
personality factors that, when present, can serve to amplify the damaging effects of humiliating
analysis is intended to enable forensic clinicians, lawyers, judges, and other relevant parties to understand better what happens when individuals are humiliated and to identify more precisely the damage that such persons sustain. It is also intended to have heuristic value for the discussion, confrontation, and alleviation of humiliation in correctional, jurisprudential, clinical, and general societal contexts.
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Partners, lovers, friends: A status dynamic study of men and women.
Citation: Roberts, M. K. (1980). Partners, lovers, friends: A status dynamic study of men and women. Dissertation Abstracts International, 41, 1523B. (University Microfilms No. 80-21626) (University Microfilms No. 77-11348)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: Within traditional psychological theories, an understanding of what is involved in principle in being a man or woman has not been possible. Therefore, in the conceptual part of this study, the question of what is involved in principle is addressed within the framework of Descriptive Psychology. “Man” and “woman” are seen as status concepts, and two levels of status are formulated: Level I status is a standing in a way of life; this standing carries with it behavior potential in a way of life and a set of potential relationships. Level II status is a standing in a personal relationship; this standing carries with it behavior potential to engage in behaviors that express a personal relationship to a particular person. Using a unique conceptual-notational device from Descriptive Psychology, the paradigm case formulation, a range of relationships possible with Level II status is also formulated. The Paradigm Case relationships include contract-partnership, romantic love, and friendship.
The empirical part of the study is a demonstration of the predictive applicability of the status formulation. 157 of 166 undergraduates who participated in the study took one of the three Paradigm Cases as the fundamental relationship between men and women, and empirically predicted differences in how they viewed sexual interactions and in their degree of disappointment with particular relationships between men and women followed accordingly.
The undergraduates also varied in their range and degree of mastery of the Paradigm Cases. Those who had mastered the concepts relevant to romantic love were more likely to take romantic love as the fundamental relationship between men and women, and those who had a high degree of mastery of at least two of the Paradigm Cases were better able to see similarity between pairs of I-Thou relationships.
While there are also some hypotheses that were not confirmed, overall the formulation is shown to be useful in making predictions about people’s views of man-woman relationships and interactions. The predictive applicability of the formulation having been demonstrated, possibilities for application of the formulation in socialization, education, and psychotherapy are explored. [233 pp.]
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A psychological approach to the improvement of myopia.
Citation: Zeiger, C. A. (1976). A psychological approach to the improvement of myopia. Dissertation Abstracts International, 37, 6359B. (University Microfilms No. 77-11348)
The relationship between personality and manic states: A status dynamic formulation.
Citation: Wechsler, R. C. (1983). The relationship between personality and manic states: A status dynamic formulation. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45, 370B. (University Microfilms No. DA8408083)
The relevance of parental characteristics for developmental delay in children.
Citation: Viniegra, J. M. (1986). The relevance of parental characteristics for developmental delay in children. Dissertation Abstracts International, 47, 809B. (University Microfilms No. DA8608648)
A comparison of Puerto Rican and Anglo concepts of appropriate mental health service utilization.
Citation: Torres, W. J. (1980). A comparison of Puerto Rican and Anglo concepts of appropriate mental health service utilization. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42, 393B-394B. (University Microfilms No. 81-14015)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: Many cultural differences between Puerto Ricans (PRs) and Anglo-Americans (AMs) reflect some of the basic differences between natural societies and industrial/technological societies. In light of this and related considerations it is probable that certain helping practices that instantiate the industrial/technological traditions of AMs will not be appropriate or effective with PRs whose world view corresponds to that of natural societies. This study addresses the particular ways in which psychotherapy, a practice embedded in AM cultural patterns, fails to be as appropriate and/or relevant for PRs, as it is for AMs.
Five hypotheses were drawn concerning differences in PRs’ and AMs’ concepts of client and therapist role appropriateness. To test these hypotheses, a questionnaire was administered in Spanish to 37 low-income PR residents of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and subsequently administered in English to a matching sample of 37 AM residents of Chelsea. By presenting hypothetical situations and asking subjects to respond in a multiple choice format, the questionnaire delved into subjects’ notions of appropriate treatment duration, compliance with medical advice after symptom relief, judgments on the appropriateness of emotional self-disclosure to a therapist and on the appropriateness of several alternatives as potential sources of help for nine mental health problems.
In support of the first hypothesis, it was found that the less Anglo-acculturated of the PR sample were significantly more likely than AMs to view the non-amelioration of a client who has visited a psychiatrist for five weekly sessions, as evidence of psychiatrist failure or ineffectiveness.
It was found that both AMs and PRs show a significant tendency to voice belief in the value of heeding expert medical advice after symptom relief. However, in support of the second hypothesis, PRs showed a significantly greater tendency than AMs toward actually disregarding expert health advice after symptom relief.
In support of the third hypothesis, PRs were found to be significantly more inclined than AMs to view a relationship between a female client and male therapist, in which the client discloses intimate concerns and occasionally expresses emotion toward the therapist, as an unexpected, incorrect, unhelpful and strange use of a therapist. PRs were particularly more inclined than AMs to disapprove specifically of the intimate self-disclosure occurring in the relationship. The PRs’ and AMs’ appraisals of the appropriateness of this therapy relationship did not vary as a function of the title under which the therapist was presented (i.e., “counselor” or “psychiatrist”), thus giving no support to the fourth hypothesis.
In support of the fifth hypothesis, it was found that PRs tend to view the psychiatrist’s role as appropriate only for problems formulated in terms of individual psychopathology, and not for problems formulated in social-interactional terms; whereas AMs tend to see the psychiatrist as appropriate for both sorts of problems.
Whereas PRs saw five of nine mental health problems as more appropriately helped by a counselor than by a psychiatrist, the AMs saw one. Whereas PRs saw all nine problems as either more appropriately helped, or just as appropriately helped by Religion/God than by a psychiatrist, AMs saw all nine problems as more appropriately helped by a psychiatrist than by Religion/God.
These findings offer strong support for this study’s conceptualization of PR and AM differences in attitudes toward, and actual relationships with, mental health secular experts. The findings help explain PR underutilization of, and high rates of attrition from, traditional mental health treatment. In so doing, they also yield clues toward developing treatment modalities that are appropriate and helpful for the PR client. [153 pp.]
What actually happened to Jose: A Descriptive Psychology approach to cultural values implementation for a culturally displaced person.
Citation: Silva, J. C. (1980). What actually happened to Jose: A Descriptive Psychology approach to cultural values implementation for a culturally displaced person. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42, 432B-433B. (University Microfilms No. 81-14009)
Empathy and helping behavior in college students.
Citation: Sidman, J. (1968). Empathy and helping behavior in college students. Dissertation Abstracts, 29, 3921B-3922B. (University Microfilms No. 69-4338)
Time and context in the hypnotic state: An examination of some state specific effects.
Citation: Schwartz, W. R. (1977). Time and context in the hypnotic state: An examination of some state specific effects. Dissertation Abstracts International, 38, 3415B. (University Microfilms No. 77-29976)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: A recent conceptualization of hypnosis suggests that the deeply hypnotized subject would show a disruption in episodic memory which would reflect a diminished awareness of duration and sequence. Specifically, the predictions were that deeply hypnotized persons would exhibit less accurate estimates of duration, and less sequence in their recall of activities, than would less hypnotized subjects and controls. The empirical task consisted of giving subjects a modified version of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C, either with the induction (hypnosis conditions), or without the induction (control condition). Prior to the termination of the scale, subjects were asked to recall the activities they had performed and the time that had elapsed since they began the scale. Deeply hypnotized subjects were significantly less sequential in their recall of activities, and less accurate in their estimations of the passage of time, than were less hypnotized subjects and controls. These results appear to be the strongest state specific effects yet noted for hypnosis, and suggest that hypnosis may be usefully conceptualized as a state in which a person is not concerned with or paying heed to the context which the world provides for his actions. [50 pp.]
A factor analytic study of stimulus values of the Thematic Apperception Test.
Citation: Schmitz, T. J. (1965). A factor analytic study of stimulus values of the Thematic Apperception Test. Dissertation Abstracts, 26, 6858-6859. (University Microfilms No. 66-2830)
Thesis directed by Assistant Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: Projective techniques are widely used by clinical psychologists, yet there are many unanswered questions regarding what determines the response to an inkblot or to an ambiguous picture such as Thematic Apperception Test cards. Present formulations of an individual’s responses to projective tests emphasize an interaction between factors such as the person, the stimulus and the examiner. The TAT, even though it is the third or fourth most widely used test, has rarely been studied in terms of the present formulations regarding test responses. In particular there have been no extensive investigations of the stimulus values of the Thematic Apperception Test materials.
A linguistic judgmental method was employed in the present study of the stimulus values of Thematic Apperception Test cards. A wide variety of verbal expressions were used to define a series of ten point scales on which TAT cards and verbal expressions of Murray’s Needs and Press could be rated. The data were factor analyzed at Western Data Processing Center using Comrey’s minimum residual method of extraction and a varimax rotation procedure.
In the major analysis 112 variables consisting of verbal expressions of Murray’s Needs and Press, together with other scales used in earlier semantic studies were factor analyzed. Subsequently ratings of 42 TAT and “control” pictures with respect to these 112 variables were used to compute the coordinates of these pictures within the stimulus value space provided by the factor analysis. The results of the factor analysis are consistent with previous semantic studies, and the results of the factor measurement procedure, i.e., the characterization of the TAT cards by means of their stimulus value coordinates is consistent with clinical evidence and previous experimental evidence as to the “pull” of each card. The use of stimulus value coordinates provides a flexible, objective basis for the selection of TAT cards in a given clinical application. An examination of the coordinate values of the various cards indicates reasons why some cards are more clinically productive than others.
A second set of factor analyses was performed on Male, Female and Combined ratings of 42 TAT and “control” pictures together with 76 verbal expressions of Need and Press. These 118 “object concepts” were rated on a series of 76 scales defined by Murray’s Needs and Press and on 36 scales used in earlier semantic studies. These three factor analyses, Male, Female, and Combined ratings, each extracted from 15 to 39 factors. In every instance there were two factors extracted which together accounted for approximately half of the total variance. One of these two large factors in each analysis was a factor composed primarily of verbal expressions of Murray’s Press, while the second large factor was made up of TAT cards and expressions of Murray’s Needs. These results were interpreted as consistent with Murray’s conceptualizations of Need and Press as different but general theoretical concepts. [214 pp.]
A status formulation of sex differences
Citation: Sapin, C. R. (1979). A status formulation of sex differences. Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 5418B. (University Microfilms No. 80-11304)
Chicano identification and its correlates.
Citation: Sanchez, J. (1992). Chicano identification and its correlates.
Violent males’ views of spousal assault: Preliminary evidence supporting four paradigm cases of spousal assault (males).
Citation: Rosales, I. (1990). Violent males’ views of spousal assault: Preliminary evidence supporting four paradigm cases of spousal assault (males).
A systematic approach to the identification of schizogenic family interaction.
Citation: Ricketts, J. L. (1970). A systematic approach to the identification of schizogenic family interaction. Dissertation Abstracts International, 31, 5637B-5638B. (University Microfilms No. 71-5925)
Ethnicity and the utilization of mental health services: Stoicism versus hypochondria.
Citation: Quintana, D. N. (1990). Ethnicity and the utilization of mental health services: Stoicism versus hypochondria.
Effects of marathon encounter groups on self-reported behavior in interpersonal contexts.
Citation: Putman, A. O. (1973). Effects of marathon encounter groups on self-reported behavior in interpersonal contexts. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34, 3506B. (University Microfilms No. 73-32585)
Significance appreciation and authentic love and friendship.
Citation: Pomerantz, J. M. (1988). Significance appreciation and authentic love and friendship. (University Microfilms No. 77-3217)
Faith and skepticism in biofeedback learning.
Citation: Peek, C. J. (1976). Faith and skepticism in biofeedback learning. Dissertation Abstracts International, 37, 4160B. (University Microfilms No. 77-3217)
Observer’s hostility as a factor in judgments of behavior in hostility-provoking situations.
Citation: Mitchell, T. O. (1969). Observer’s hostility as a factor in judgments of behavior in hostility-provoking situations. Dissertation Abstracts International, 30, 811A. (University Microfilms No. 69-13422)
Smoking addiction: A Descriptive Psychology conceptualization and test.
Citation: Minerva, D. (1989). Smoking addiction: A Descriptive Psychology conceptualization and test.
The significance of criminal and noncriminal behavior.
Citation: Marshall, K. M. (1980). The significance of criminal and noncriminal behavior. Dissertation Abstracts International, 41, 1515B. (University Microfilms No. 80-21604)(University Microfilms No. 80-11288)
A theory of humor.
Citation: Littmann, J. R. (1979). A theory of humor.Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 5410B-5411B. (University Microfilms No. 80-11288)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: In this study, which is anchored on Descriptive Psychology, a theoretical formulation of Humor is proposed. The Joke is presented as a paradigm case of humor; transformations of the paradigm case reveal the family resemblances among diverse forms of humor and phenomena related to humor. The Joke is formulated as:
A. Present some subject as one to be taken seriously (View/serious);
B. Present that subject as one to be taken nonseriously (V/ns).
The relationship between the two viewpoints and the variety of ways of presenting the views in that relationship are elaborated. The formulation of Humor includes “second order” transformations which specify (1) that the viewpoints could be presented in any order or simultaneously, and (2) that the terms “serious” and “nonserious” could be replaced by any functionally equivalent terms. The individual who appraises the subject as funny/humorous will have achieved a new viewpoint (new appraisal) which was described as “seeing the serious-as-nonserious,” i.e., the serious view provides the background-given for the (foreground) appraisal of the subject as nonserious. Both the serious and nonserious viewpoints are maintained in the special relationship elaborated in this study. Implications for our understanding of the role of incongruity in humor, and the distinction of “funny-peculiar” versus “funny-ha ha” are discussed.
A person’s appraisal of some situation or matter as “humorous” provides intrinsic motivation for that person to be amused and to express his amusement (for example, by laughing, smiling, etc.). As in the case of emotional behavior, the person who appraises something as humorous has the tendency to act on his appraisal without deliberation. Moreover, his behavior will be an expression of the appraised relationship unless:
(a) He is acting on another relationship which takes precedence; or
(b) He takes the relationship to be a different one than humor; or
(c) He is unable to act at that time in accordance with the relationship; or
(d) He mistakenly believes that what he did was an expression of amusement.
Since there is no guarantee that something which is presented as humor will be appraised as humorous (funny), the further matter of what contributes to successful versus unsuccessful humor is discussed. Three parameters influencing the success or failure of humor are considered: Material, Presentation, and Personal Characteristics (Individual Differences) of the Audience.
The place of humor in human behavior is also discussed in the light of the status dynamic formulation of Humor proposed. Connections to surprise, superiority and degradation, relief, liberation, and joy are considered. An empirical test of two hypotheses derived from the status dynamic formulation of humor is presented.
To achieve a second, nonserious perspective about a serious subject, without discarding the serious viewpoint, is to acquire a new relationship to the subject matter (situation). Thus, when one appreciates the Humor of X, the new perspective is both liberating and status enhancing. It was hypothesized that the more seriously a person takes a matter, the more he would enjoy humor about that matter, unless he were “overinvolved”; overinvolvement would interfere with his enjoyment of the humor.
Thirty printed jokes were presented to a group of individuals, and their self-reported ratings of enjoyment of the jokes and seriousness toward the matters were obtained. Corrections were calculated for intrinsic (normative) funniness of each joke and individual differences of each individual. Subjects’ doubly corrected Enjoyment scores were plotted as a function of subjects’ degree of Involvement. Twenty-four of the thirty-five subjects behaved as predicted; for eleven subjects, as seriousness increased, enjoyment decreased. Individual attitudes concerning propriety were suggested as one significant factor affecting one’s appreciation and enjoyment of humor, and distinguishing individuals’ senses of humor. [179 pp.]
The acculturation of culturally displaced persons: The case of Pilipino-Americans.
Citation: Lubuguin, F. (1993). The acculturation of culturally displaced persons: The case of Pilipino-Americans.
Significance in schizophrenic thought disorder.
Citation: Littler, S. L. (1987). Significance in schizophrenic thought disorder.Significance in schizophrenic thought disorder.
A study of the self-disclosure and self-presentation variables.
Citation: Lind, D. R. (1970). A study of the self-disclosure and self-presentation variables. Dissertation Abstracts International, 32, 1217B-1218B. (University Microfilms No. 71-21607)
Stress and health in a Colorado coal mining community.
Citation: Lasater, L. (1979). Stress and health in a Colorado coal mining community. Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 3945B. (University Microfilms No. 80-02994)
A pre-normative and predictive study of the college student Rorschach.
Citation: Larsen, E. A. (1968). A pre-normative and predictive study of the college student Rorschach. Dissertation Abstracts International, 29, 2204B-2205B. (University Microfilms No. 68-14389)
Thesis directed by Assistant Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: This study was undertaken to (1) provide a sample of normative college student Rorschach responses and (2) to test relationships between Rorschach and TAT variables.
Fifty-seven females and forty-seven males from introductory psychology courses were seen in small groups, wrote out, and rated their responses to the Rorschach and six TAT cards.
The Rorschach was scored by Klopfer’s scoring system. Both the author and another clinician scored a sample of responses. Reliability of scoring was comparable to previously reported studies.
No differences in mean number of responses falling into the various location and determinant categories was found between males and females; between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors; or between female nursing and non-nursing majors.
For each hypothesis relating a Rorschach to a TAT variable two groups of subjects as different as possible on the relevant Rorschach variable were compared on the relevant TAT variable which was measured by the subject’s rating of his stories.
1. Color and human movement were not related to productivity (length of story) either singly or in combination. This may be interpreted as casting doubt on the relevance of stylistic variables of the TAT response, or alternatively, as lack of support for the hypothesized relationships.
2. Color and human movement were not differentially related either to frequency or relative length of stories with and without thinking themes.
3. Flexor M was more related to lack of clearly defined goals than was extensor M when scoring of Flexor/extensor M was based on movement toward or away from the center of the blot.
4. Inanimate movement was not related to lack of control over events or feelings. Flowing versus explosive movement was not predictive of whether force was internal or external to the subject.
5. Amount of color was not related to amount of feeling in TAT stories.
6. Greater frequency of CF than FC was related at the .05 level to presence of more strong feeling on TAT stories. But greater FC than CF was not related to more comfort and ease about presence of feeling.
7. Predominance of warm or cool color on the Rorschach was not related to non-depressed feeling or to presence of depressed feeling and guilt in TAT stories.
8. Increased amounts of shading responses (FK, KF, Fk, kF, Fc, and cF) were associated with lack of confidence about and great interest in the area of obtaining acceptance and affection from others. Low amounts of shading are not conversely associated with expressions of confidence about gaining affection and approval. High amounts of shading are not related to differential frequency of specific goals whether these be of a status, material, or affectional and approval nature.
9. Increased amounts of texture shading (Fc and cF) were associated with more concern about gaining affection and approval from others. High amounts of texture shading also related to greater interest both in helping and being helped by others. Lower amounts were not associated with different types of goals.
10. Unpleasant to touch texture responses tended (almost at the .05 level) to be associated with lack of confidence and doubt about gaining affection.
11. Amount of non-texture shading (FK, KF, Fk, kF) was not associated at the .05 level with expression of: (1) confidence about being liked and accepted, (2) lack of confidence about being liked and accepted, (3) criticalness of others, or (4) doubt of one’s own ability. [208 pp.]
Suicidal states and restrictions in the eligibility to negotiate personal characteristics.
Citation: Kirsch, N. L. (1978). Suicidal states and restrictions in the eligibility to negotiate personal characteristics. Dissertation Abstracts International, 39, 4038B-4039B. (University Microfilms No. 79-03066)
The prediction of the outcome of personal arguments of heterosexual couples: An experimental-field study.
Citation: Kelling, G. W. (1972). The prediction of the outcome of personal arguments of heterosexual couples: An experimental-field study. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34, 1359A-1360A. (University Microfilms No. 73-18576)
Discipline, negotiation and the schizogenic family: A study of normal and schizogenic socialization.
Citation: Kantor, C. (1977). Discipline, negotiation and the schizogenic family: A study of normal and schizogenic socialization. Dissertation Abstracts International, 46, 304B. (University Microfilms No. 84-22724)
A high power-low power account of sexual jealousy.
Citation: Johnston, C. L. (1982). A high power-low power account of sexual jealousy. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, 4150B. (University Microfilms No. DA8309852)
Thesis directed by Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: Jealousy is expressed in heterogeneous ways in comparison to normative expressions of other emotions, for example, expressions of fear, anger, and guilt. The intent of this study was to identify some of the bases of this variety, and to offer a conceptualization and definition which would account for some of this diversity, and provide a groundwork for empirically addressing the topic.
An attempt was made to account for many of the differences found between men and women in terms of their jealous feelings and behaviors by assuming that, in their personal sexual relationships, men tend to be in the high power position, and women in the low power position. A questionnaire was designed to seek further support for this conceptualization. Certain sources of regularity in the expression of jealousy–those based on gender, and on the high power-low power relationship–were examined.
Participants, numbering 264, were almost all University of Colorado students.
The results provided support for the status conceptualization of jealousy, but suggest that other aspects of jealousy beyond the high power-low power aspect are important. The high power reactions expected for men were generally found in the data. The low power reactions expected for women were found in the data a good part of the time. However, the findings indicate that both men and women exhibit some high power reactions and some low power reactions. These findings may possibly be related to changing norms for male and female behaviors and attitudes. [232 pp.]
Depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation among Asian-American students.
Citation: Ida, D. (1989). Depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation among Asian-American students.
Pre-empirical considerations for a behavioral science.
Citation: Huk, J. E. (1973). Pre-empirical considerations for a behavioral science. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34, 3466B. (University Microfilms No. 73-32554
Differences between clients and non-clients and a comparison of two vocational counseling procedures.
Citation: Holmes, J. R. (1975). Differences between clients and non-clients and a comparison of two vocational counseling procedures. Dissertation Abstracts International, 36, 5795B. (University Microfilms No. 76-11584)
Personality and alcoholism treatment.
Citation: Garcia, R. G. (1985). Personality and alcoholism treatment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 46, 3592B. (University Microfilms No. DA8528485)
Interpersonal understanding as an aspect of interpersonal interaction.
Citation: Felknor, J. E. (1977). Interpersonal understanding as an aspect of interpersonal interaction. Dissertation Abstracts International, 38, 6236B. (University Microfilms No. 78-08897)
Status dynamics of sexual relationships.
Citation: Crouch, T. (1988). Status dynamics of sexual relationships.
Menstruation as stigma.
Citation: Crabbe, J. L. (1975). Menstruation as stigma. Dissertation Abstracts International, 36, 4148B-4149B. (University Microfilms No. 76-3896) 76-3896)
Dependence and competence in children: Parental treatment of four-year-old boys.
Citation: Clapp, W. F. (1966). Dependence and competence in children: Parental treatment of four-year-old boys. Dissertation Abstracts, 28, 1703B. (University Microfilms No. 67-10032)
A computer implementation of the reason formulation applied to person perception.
Citation: Carlson, R. H. (1979). A computer implementation of the reason formulation applied to person perception.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 3384B-3385B. (University Microfilms No. 79-23220)
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Peter G. Ossorio
Abstract: An introductory discussion set forth two ways to approach the study of human behavior. One was identified as the Covering Law Model and the other as the Reason Formulation. The former emphasizes the establishment of general causal links between variables, whereas the latter emphasizes the role of reasons and intentions in explaining behavior. It was noted that the Covering Law Model has been the more dominant approach. A review of many philosophers of science, including William Dray and Theodore Mischel, was intended to give credence to the Reason Formulation as a legitimate and scientific approach to the explanation of human behavior. This research presents a rationale, justification, and implementation of the Reason Formulation in concrete form via computer modeling. This is derived from the larger conceptual framework of Descriptive Psychology developed by Peter G. Ossorio.
To demonstrate the use of the Reason Formulation a type of person perception experiment was designed. A computer program was devised to model observers who would make predictions about what actions an actor would choose across a range of situations. In order to model the observer’s predictions data was gathered on each of four observers and five actors. The actors were asked to designate the actions that they would choose in 14 hypothetical situations. Subjects generated 20 appraisal terms via factor analysis which loaded significantly on 5 value perspectives: (1) ethical, (2) prudential, (3) hedonic, (4) intellectually esthetic, and (5) socially esthetic. Each observer rated each situational action with respect to each appraisal term. The net strength of each generic perspective for each action was computed. On the basis of least discrepancy, the computer models predicted the predictions of the observer.
Two models incorporating rules for the assessment and prediction of behavior by observers were implemented: (1) the Combinatorial Model, and (2) the Priority Model. The first gave equal weighting to each value perspective in assessment and prediction of behavior. The Priority Model gave equal weighting to all perspectives with the exception of doubling the weight of the most salient perspective. This was done to take a limited look at what difference varying weightings would make in modeling observer’s predictions.
The results showed that both models correlated at .001 significance level with the predictions of observers. The Priority Model (1) produced consistently higher correlations across all observers, though insignificant for any one observer; and (2) is consistently better across all situations. The correlations between models and observers within situations varies widely. Both models also simulated Observer #1 significantly better than the others. All observers except #3 did better than the models at predicting the actual choices.
In discussion several issues were raised: (1) higher multiplicative factors in the Priority Model could be explored to discover its effect on goodness of fit; (2) there is the possibility that different sets of rules would yield better fit with different observers; and (3) more Individual Difference parameter data could show what kind of a person is modeled best by which model. In addition it appeared that those situations yielding highest correlations have a set of actions which are more dissimilar from each other. Finally, the poor performance of Observer #3 was speculated to be related to her poorer sense of judgment. Again, Individual Difference parameter data was seen as a potential contributor to more complete understanding of such results. Overall, the research showed the usefulness of the Reason Formulation in the instance of modeling person perception. [90 pp.]
An analysis of the factors involved in the process of academic achievement, with an emphasis on assessing differences in achievement between African-Americans and Whites at a predominantly white university.
Police personnel evaluation procedures as an aspect of organizational control.
Citation: Busch, E. K. (1980). Police personnel evaluation procedures as an aspect of organizational control. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42, 17A. (University Microfilms No. 81-13949)
The development and evaluation of a training videotape for the resolution of marital conflict.
Citation: Bergner, R. M. (1973). The development and evaluation of a training videotape for the resolution of marital conflict. Dissertation Abstracts International, 34, 3485B. (University Microfilms No. 73-32510)
The assessment of marital health.
Citation: Bergner, L. L. (1975). The assessment of marital health. Dissertation Abstracts International, 36, 5778B-5779B. (University Microfilms No. 76-11548)
Psychological education to enhance self-understanding and self-acceptance in college students.
Citation: Baker, E. M. (1977). Psychological education to enhance self-understanding and self-acceptance in college students. Dissertation Abstracts International, 38, 3378B. (University Microfilms No. 77-29896)
Interpersonal understanding, interpersonal stress and current states: Interrelationships and treatment assessment.
Citation: Comtois, R. J. (1970). Interpersonal understanding, interpersonal stress and current states: Interrelationships and treatment assessment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 32, 1071A. (University Microfilms No. 71-21578)
Differences in appreciation of behavioral significance and intrinsicness.
Citation: Bender, J. E. (1982). Differences in appreciation of behavioral significance and intrinsicness. Dissertation Abstracts International, 44, 3922B. (University Microfilms No. DA8400877)
What there is, how things are
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1997). http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-5914.00032What there is, How things are. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 27:2/3, June/September 1997, 149-172.
Knowledge support system for the first lunar outpost mission (NAS 9-18916)
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1995). Knowledge support system for the first lunar outpost
mission (NAS 9-18916). Houston, TX: NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Robotic systems and automation for space application (NAS 9-18677)
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1992). Robotic systems and automation for space application
(NAS 9-18677). Houston, TX: NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. (Also published as ESI Report No. 3. Boulder, CO: Ellery Systems, Inc.)
An expert system for planning, design, and management support for the first lunar outpost (NAS 9-18687)
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1992). An expert system for planning, design, and management support for the first lunar outpost (NAS 9-18687). Houston, TX: NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. (Also published as ESI Report No. 2. Boulder, CO: Ellery Systems, Inc.)
Experience for robots?
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1992). Experience for robots? (ESI Report No. 1a). Boulder, CO: Ellery Systems, Inc.
Naive baseball theory
The human condition: Some formal aspects (LRI Report No. 47a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1990). The human condition: Some formal aspects. LRI
Report No. 47a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Galaxies at 8:30 (LRI Report No. 42a)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1988). Galaxies at 8:30. LRI Report No. 42a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia
(LRI Report No 39a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citations:
The recommended citation for the CU Scholar copy of the LRI Report is:
Ossorio, Peter G., “Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia” (1987). Peter G. Ossorio Collection. 38.
https://scholar.colorado.edu/ossorio/38
It was originally published as:
Ossorio, P.G. (1987/1997). Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 165-193). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1987 as LRI Report No. 39a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Projective techniques (LRI Report 38a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation<]/b>:
Ossorio, P.G. (1987/1997). Projective techniques. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 71-95). Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 38a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
More three minute lectures on emotion
(LRI Report No. 36b)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
The recommended citation for the CU Scholar copy of the LRI Report is:
Ossorio, P.G. (1986/1997). More three minute lectures on emotion. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 131-161). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 36b. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Three minute lectures on emotion
(LRI Report No. 36a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for a PDF copy of this publication, published by Descriptive Psychology Press as a chapter in Ossorio’s Collected Works, Vol II.
Citation:
The recommended citation for the CU Scholar copy of the LRI Report is:
Ossorio, P.G. (1986/1997). Three minute lectures on emotion. In
Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 99-128). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 36a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
An overview of Descriptive Psychology
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1983/1985). An overview of Descriptive Psychology. In K. Gergen and K. E. Davis (Eds.), Social construction of the person, (pp. 19-40). New York: Springer Verlacht. (Original work published 1983 as LRI Report No. 35. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Status maxims (LRI Report No. 30b)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982). Status maxims (LRI Report No. 30b). Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Cognition (LRI Report No. 32)
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Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982). Cognition (LRI Report No. 32). Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
A multicultural psychology
(LRI Report No. 29)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1983). A multicultural psychology. In K.E. Davis & R.M. Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 3, (pp. 13-44). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 29. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Ex post facto: The source of intractable origin problems and their solution (LRI Report No. 28a)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1981). Ex post facto: The source of intractable origin problems and their solution (LRI Report No. 28a). Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Embodiment (LRI Report No. 23)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1980/1982). Embodiment. In K.E. Davis & T.O. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 2, (pp. 11-
32). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Originally published in 1980 as LRI
Report No. 23. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Behavior pattern indexing
(LRI Report No. 33)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Ossorio, P.G. (1980). Behavior pattern indexing (LRI Report No. 33).
Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Conceptual-notational devices: The PCF and related types (LRI Report No. 22)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1979/1981). Conceptual-notational devices: The PCF and related types. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1, (pp. 83-104). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Original work published 1979 as LRI Report No. 22. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Research, evaluation, and representation (LRI Report No. 18)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1978). Research, evaluation, and representation (LRI
Report No. 18). Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Religion without doctrine
(LRI Report No. 19)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Another version of this report is also available on CU Scholar, in the form of a transcript prepared by Mary McDermott Shideler of a talk given by Dr. Ossorio to the First Unitarian Fellowship on 5 November 1978, Boulder, CO.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1978). Religion without doctrine (LRI Report No. 19).
Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Never smile at a crocodile
(LRI Report No. 17)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1972/1973). Never smile at a crocodile. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 3, 131–140. (Original work published 1972 as LRI Report No. 17. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
State of affairs systems: Theory and technique for automatic fact analysis (LRI Report No. 14)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1971/1978). State of affairs systems (LRI Report No.
14). Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute. (Original work published 1971 as RADC–TR–71–102, Rome Air Development Center, New York.)
Notes on behavior description
(LRI Report No. 4b)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1969/1981). Notes on behavior description. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1, (pp. 13-36). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1969 as LRI Report No. 4b. Los Angeles, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research
Institute.)
All the world’s a fact
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1969). All the world’s a fact. [Review of the book: M.
Kochen, Ed. The growth of knowledge]. Contemporary Psychology, 14, 232-233.
The shaping of things to come
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1968). The shaping of things to come. [Review of Science
and human affairs, by R. E. Farson, Ed., and of New view of the nature of man, by J. R. Platt, Ed.].
Contemporary Psychology, 13, 140-142..
Explanation, falsifiability, and rule-following behavior (LRI Report No. 4c)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1968/1981). Explanation, falsifiability, and rule-following. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1, (pp. 37-56). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Original work published 1968 as LRI Report No. 4c. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Attribute space development and evaluation (LRI Report No. 2)
Click here for full text (in PDF format)…
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1967/1968). Attribute space development and evaluation (RADC–TR–67–640). Rome Air Development Center, New York. (Original work published 1967 as LRI Report No. 2. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Rule following in grammar and behavior (LRI Report No. 7)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1967). Rule–following in grammar and behavior (LRI Report No. 7). Los Angeles, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Seminar on Clinical Topics: Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. VII
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2013 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (2013). Seminar on Clinical Topics. Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VII). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Originally published as LRI Report No. 11. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute).
Essays on Clinical Topics: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II.
The individual chapters in this volume were each published earlier as LRI Reports.
They include:
- Pathology (LRI Report No. 34a)
- Projective techniques (LRI Report No. 38a)
- Three minute lectures on emotions (LRI Report No. 36a)
- More three minute lectures (LRI Report No. 36b)
- Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (LRI Report No. 39a)
- Status management: A Theory of Punishment and Rehabilitation
In addition to the full volume PDF as published by Descriptive Psychology Press, separate citation pages for each of the individual reports can be found on this website.
The reports can also be accessed through CU Scholar by clicking here.
Click here for a PDF of the complete volume text PDF.
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (1997). Essays on Clinical Topics. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. II). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
“What Actually Happens”: The representation of real world phenomena in behavioral science. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for a full text PDF of the 2005 book, published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Ossorio, P. G. (1972/1975/1978/2005). “What actually happens”: The representation of real world phenomena. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. IV. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. Also published Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1975, 1978. (Original work published 1972 as LRI Report No. 10a. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute. Later listed as LRI Report No. 20.)
Meaning and Symbolism. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VI)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2010 book published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1969/1978/2010). Meaning and Symbolism. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. VI). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published as LRI Report No. 15. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Subjective Probability in Behavioral Economics and Finance: A Radical Reformulation
Citation: Jeffrey, H.J. & Putman, A.O. (2015). “Subjective Probability in Behavioral Economics and Finance: A Radical Reformulation,” The Journal of Behavioral Finance, 16(3), 231-249.
This paper presents a radical re-formulation of subjective probability, showing that what have been called “subjective probabilities” are properly formulated as uncertainty appraisals, re-descriptions of states of affairs carrying tautological implications for action. A novel formulation of the decision maker’s field-of-view, based on the concept of Actor, Observer, and Critic roles, combined with the uncertainty appraisal formulation, is used to develop new methods for evaluating data, finding patterns in data, and integrating probabilities and uncertainty appraisals, that is, those aspects that have, until now, been called “subjective probabilities.”
Stress, mental health and need satisfaction among Indochinese in Colorado
Citation: Aylesworth, L. S. (1980). Stress, mental health and need satisfaction among Indochinese in Colorado. Dissertation Abstracts International, 41, 1490B. (University Microfilms No. 80-21544)
Outline of Descriptive Psychology for personality theory and clinical applications (LRI Report No. 4d)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1970/1981). Outline of Descriptive Psychology for personality theory and clinical applications. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1, (pp. 57-82). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. (Original work published 1970 as LRI Report No. 4d. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Dissemination research (RADC-TR-65-314)
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Citation: Ossorio, P. G. (1965). Dissemination research (RADC-TR-65-314). Rome, NY: Rome Air Development Center.
A New Model of Clinical Judgment
Citation: Bender, D.J. (1977). A new model of clinical judgment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 38, 6133B-6134B. (University Microfilms No. 78-07677).
Thesis directed by Professor Leo F. Droppleman, University of Tennessee
Abstract: Previous research on the topic of clinical judgment was discussed, including representational models and the results of clinical judgment research which has employed these models. The most often used model, called the Prediction Model (Meehl, 1954) was compared with a new model designated the Decision and Expectation Feedback Model. Empirical expectations implied by the two models were discussed and the following hypotheses were tested: (1) clinicians will be less surprised than non-clinicians that persons engage in behaviors they actually engage in; (2) clinicians will be less surprised than non-clinicians that persons engage in behaviors that are alternatives to their actual behavior; (3) clinicians will not be less surprised than non-clinicians that persons engaged in behaviors they generally engage in; and (4) clinicians and non-clinicians will predict behavior at the same rate of accuracy. All hypotheses were supported by the data analyses. Implications of these findings for the topic of clinical judgment were discussed as well as suggested additional research. [80 pp.]
Recovery from Compulsive Behavior: How to Transcend Your Troubled Family
Citation: Lasater, L. (1988). Recovery from compulsive behavior: How to transcend your troubled family. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications.
Being, Becoming and Belonging
A Paper Presented to The Twentieth Annual Conference of The Society for Descriptive Psychology September 24-27, 1998 Estes Park, Colorado.
Brains don’t think and organisms don’t create cultures or develop spontaneous languages
A review of Human Nature: The Categorial Framework
By P. M. S. Hacker
Malden, MA, USA and Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 326 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4051-4728-6.
Link to full article (in PDF format).
Love and barriers to love: An analysis for psychotherapists and others
Citation: Bergner, R. (2000). Love and barriers to love: An analysis for psychotherapists and other. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 54, 1-17.
What is behavior? And so what?
Citation: Bergner, R. (2001). What is behavior? And so What? New Ideas in Psychology, 29, 147-155.
Abstract: This article addresses a longstanding problem in the field of psychology, that of lacking an adequate explication of what is arguably our central concept as a “science of behavior,” the concept of “behavior” itself. The three sections comprising the paper are devoted, respectively, to (a) presenting a conceptual formulation of behavior; (b) discussing this formulation by, among other things, addressing objections to it and noting its advantages over psychology’s currently preferred definition of behavior as observable activity; and (c) relating why having such a formulation is important. The final section includes several uses to which the present formulation has already been and can in future be put, including a sketch of how it may be used to integrate the various subfields of our currently fragmented science of behavior.
Is It All Really Biological?
Citation: Bergner, R.M. (2004).
Is it all really biological?. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 24, 30-49.
Abstract: The hypothesis that our current psychological forms of description and explanation will one day be replaced by biological ones, while not universally held, is wide-spread and highly influential in both the scientific community and the broader culture. The purpose of this paper is to examine this hypothesis. It will be argued that, while biology has had and will undoubtedly continue to have many extremely valuable and illuminating findings, it cannot and will not replace psychological explanations and concepts in our understanding, scientific and otherwise, of human behavioral phenomena. That is to say, the science of biology will not replace or subsume that of psychology.
Essentials of Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice
What makes something psychoanalytic?
Link to full article (in PDF format)…
Citation: Schwartz, W. (1988). What makes something psychoanalytic? Psychiatry, 51, 417-426.
Presentations of Self and the Status Dynamics of Psychotherapy and Supervision
Citation: Schwartz, W. (2008). Presentations of self and the status dynamics of psychotherapy and supervision.
American Journal of Psychotherapy, 62, 51-65.
Abstract: This article explores basic issues in the status dynamics of psychotherapy and supervision. Self-presentation and status markers create a dynamic that affects the participants in psychotherapy and in its supervision. “Political correctness,” at times, makes it difficult for trainees to discuss their feelings and observations about status differences with their supervisors. One of the roles of supervision is the rite of passage, involving moving the trainee from the world of nonpsychologist to membership in the community of psychologists. During supervision, the supervisor’s self-disclosure of relevant autobiographical details and problematic thoughts and feeling is recommended as useful, even though such revelations in psychotherapy practice might be inappropriate or hazardous.
Degradation, accreditation, and rites of passage
Link to full article (in PDF format)…
Citation: Schwartz, W. (1979). Degradation, Accreditation, and Rites of Passage. Psychiatry, em>42(2), 138-146.
From Passivity to Competence – A Conceptualization of Knowledge, Skill, Tolerance, and Empathy
Psychiatry, Vol. 65, Winter 2002.
Link to full article (in PDF format)
Schwartz, W. (2002). From passivity to competence – A conceptualization of knowledge, skill, tolerance, and empathy. Psychiatry, 65, 338-345.
Status Dynamics and Psychotherapy
I am a teacher, provider and supervisor of psychotherapy trained in classical psychoanalysis and in Descriptive Psychology’s status dynamics. Both psychoanalysis and Descriptive Psychology are fundamental approaches to people. Psychoanalysis provides a theory driven and empirically informed method whereas status dynamics is a pre-empirical formulation of basic maxims that guide a competent explication of behavior. Status Dynamics as an organized body of reminders potentially provides conceptual access to any and all behavior and as such is logically prior to a coherent psychoanalysis or any other theory of persons and psychotherapy. I supervise non psychoanalytically trained students and I practice both a recognizable variety of psychoanalysis and psychotherapies that do not resemble Sigmund Freud’s but clearly follow from what I learned from Peter Ossorio. I am not eclectic even though my psychoanalytic work involves an application of descriptive psychology.
A basic competence with status dynamics, concerned with the formulations of intentionality, the practical syllogism, the states of affairs relations of stability and change, enable me to describe. Being able to describe is fundamental in doing psychology. As Wittgenstein reminds us, “If a description is complete what is left to explain?” Since everything lies open to view there is nothing to explain. (Wittgenstein, 126., 1953). I think that Ossorio’s Place (1998), his fundamental compilation of status dynamic maxims, is among a small handful of the most useful documents that has been produced in psychology. In my day to day work as a teacher, supervisor and therapist I use status dynamics:
- As the neutral language to teach comparative psychotherapy.
- In case formulation and supervision.
- As the structure of reminders for my practice of psychotherapy.
Status dynamic formulations of case and intervention are, in my experience, readily understandable in working with psychotherapists of any persuasion. Ossorio’s recognition that understanding persons is grounded in competence, rather than a particular knowledge, allows for an infinite variety of skilled formulations and interventions. This is a crucial point. The range of possible competent therapeutic interventions is infinite. This is not to say that anything goes. The recognition of the open range of well chosen actions that could constitute a therapy is an essential reminder for the therapist who “knows how” to act psychotherapeutically and for the supervisor of students of various backgrounds. Just as Descriptive Psychology provides a check on the logical adequacy of personality theories and case formulations and furnishes a format for comparing theories, the maxims serve as an ideal “middle ware” allowing students of the different schools of therapy coherent access to each other’s actions.
Since status dynamics are an organized pre-empirical body of reminders, they can serve as conceptual tools for formulation and intervention for anyone who has achieved the status of psychotherapist regardless of that person’s beliefs, traditions, or other commitments. One can be, as I am, a descriptive psychologist who sometimes practices psychoanalysis or a psychotherapist whose only school of identification is Descriptive Psychology. This last category, the descriptive psychotherapist, hangs on the concept and status of psychotherapist, which is a culturally specific status that needs explication.
I need some help here. I am not ready to offer a paradigm case formulation of psychotherapy or of the psychotherapist but I want to talk about some of the issues that are embedded in the social practice of psychotherapy. But let me also remind you that historically the most available model of the psychotherapist has been some sort of psychoanalyst (and I would include the students of Carl Rogers ). What is the status “psychotherapist” concerned with? Psychotherapists are those who are recognized as competent providers of psychotherapy and psychotherapy involves the attempts to remedy psychopathology. Ossorio has provided an atheoritical formulation of pathology, a deficit model, that uses as its defining formulation the following: “When a person is in a pathological state there is a significant restriction on his ability (a) to engage in deliberate action and, equivalently, (b) to participate in the social practices of the community.” (Ossorio, 1997, p.10). This formulation acknowledges that psychopathology involves a reduction in behavior potential such that a person’s status in community is significantly restricted (and, as it usually looks, stereotyped or type cast as hysteric, obsessive, narcissistic, borderline, etc.) . With this formulation in mind, Ossorio goes on to say that “In the Descriptive Psychology style of psychotherapy…methods and techniques are explicitly designed to increase behavior potential and are based on universal status-dynamic principles.” (Ossorio, 1997, p. 49) .
In line with this deficit model, Ossorio uses Harold Garfinkel’s degradation ceremony (Garfinkel, 1967) as a powerful teaching tool in clarifying a vast array of pathology. My first attempts at understanding psychotherapy made use of this formulation and offered that negotiation and moral dialog were the principle tools of the psychotherapist who might attempt to undo degradation in a variety of accreditation ceremonies (Schwartz, 1979).
Today I want to explore a little more the social practice of psychotherapy and the special status of the psychotherapist. To the extent that I have it right, all psychotherapists worth their salt should recognize a kinship with the formulation I’ll offer. After speaking a bit about the psychotherapist I want to say something about the supervisor of psychotherapists since it is principally in supervision that the status of a person’s behavior as therapeutic gets accredited independent of whether the therapist’s client or patient gets better.
To anticipate, psychotherapists aid in patient’s attempts to increase their eligibility to act deliberately and supervisors accredit their supervisees as those who are eligible to provide such assistance. Cognizantly knowing or not, all competent psychotherapists and their supervisors make use of status dynamic principles but only in Descriptive Psychology are they systematically articulated. Finally, I will demonstrate that psychoanalysis as a form of psychotherapy involves a stylized application of status dynamics with the particular goals of increasing an undefined behavior potential, a liberation through facilitating maturation, insight, and toleration. The bias toward the values of self knowledge, freedom of association, toleration and maturation are the politics that inform the particular theory and treatment if it is an authentic psychoanalytic one.
What I will do, making liberal use of the work of George Klein (1976), is state the paradigm beliefs that identifies the psychoanalytic community and develop an ordinary language formulation of those beliefs. Those of us who think of ourselves as psychoanalytic will recognize the common lore. The ordinary language formulation is Freudian psychoanalysis without Freud. I like keeping Freud in but I understand the reasons many don’t.
Psychoanalysis as a method of treatment has as its fundamental goal the achievement of increasing the analysand’s freedom of association accomplished by facilitating the analysand’s “free associations” (Kris, 1982) through an analysis of transference and resistance. The analyst requests that the analysand speak with utter honesty and then tries to help both people understand and confront why such a request leads to a particular pattern of failure (Schwartz, 1988). The therapist who is committed to “the Descriptive Psychology style of psychotherapy” attempts to aid the client’s attempts to increase behavior potential or eligibility.
I would argue that with some slight differences in emphasis, notably around a focus on emotion versus affect, increases in behavior potential and freedom of association amount to the same thing. Descriptive Psychology has offered an analysis of emotion as non deliberate intentional action and psychoanalysis has explored affect as experienced or warded off sensation. Psychoanalysis worries about a person’s self access and toleration of feeling in a way similar to the descriptive concern with eligibility and action in community. Psychoanalysis has attributed a particular stance as essential to the status of psychoanalytic therapist. Roy Schafer (1983, p.3) described what he calls “the analytic attitude…as one of Freud’s greatest creations.” This is a stance designed to increase the analysand’s safety by fostering a sort of “breathing space” to facilitate the possibility of both free association and its analysis. This stance involves a highly stylized skill requiring personal characteristics of neutrality, the avoidance of either-or thinking, the attention to transference and resistance, and in keeping an eye on the goal of being helpful. The analyst attempts to remain in an empathic relation to the analysand in the hope that such a relationship will increase the odds of developing self understanding, toleration, and a desired maturation. From the perspective of the actor-observer/describer-critic model of self regulation, the analyst is a highly attuned critic in monitoring the intrusion of counter-transference and on judging whether his or her behavior is conducive to maintaining breathing space for both parties. This is why analysts are so skilled at keeping their mouths shut.
Descriptive Psychology is less articulated in the personal characteristics that identify the psychotherapist but in so far as the accreditation concepts highlight one paradigm of psychotherapy, and require that the therapist is competent in moral dialog and negotiation, there are certain general standards that follow. In principle, the only requirement of the descriptive therapist as accreditor is that he is a competent representative of some valued community but, as I will illustrate, to accomplish the job of negotiation and moral dialog he must also be empathic and skilled at the logics of intentionality. I am limiting my discussion of the descriptive therapist to the negotiation and accreditation model for a particular reason. Although the tools of status dynamics provide coherent access to the full range of ways of changing behavior, including behavioral, rehabilitative, and punitive methods, for political and ethical reasons, I refuse to dignify any method of treatment that is coercive or deceptive as psychotherapy. Negotiation and moral dialog are fundamental to a psychotherapeutic enhancement of behavior potential and respect the patient as agent throughout the process of negotiated change.
Let me clarify a bit about what I have in mind when I talk about moral dialog and negotiation. In an earlier work (Schwartz, 1979, p.144.) I stated that
a methodology useful for enacting accreditation can be found in the related social practices of moral dialog (Arendt, 1958; Cavell, 1969; Pitkin, 1972) and negotiation (Ossorio, 1970). The practices set the stage for status change and acceptance. Although the mere successful practice of moral discourse and negotiationcan be therapeutic, the achievement of such an encounter between therapist and client has no guaranteed end. The specific issues, complex and sometimes obscure, must still be accurately identified and dealt with, and this is not ordinarily easy to accomplish.
What makes the concepts of moral dialog and negotiation especially attractive for paradigms of therapeutic exchange is that both concepts directly involve mutual encounter. Moral dialog is an activity by which involved persons attempt to accurately reveal their positions, while negotiation concerns practices of calibrating those judgments through appeal to shared standards. Negotiation is thus conducted on the presupposition that both individuals have the competence to make judgments about the matters at hand, and that both persons wish to act with a common attention to the relevance of what they say.
Concerns with moral dialog and negotiation bear family resemblance to the concerns of the analyst. A key difference being the that analyst is fundamentally a value and significance describer and creator, cautious about self disclosure, whereas the descriptive therapist as accreditor must be recognized as a representative of a valued community and is a value and significance provider, trainer and affirmer.
Both analyst and descriptive therapist are concerned with an empathic exploration of intentionality and it is to this common ground that I will briefly turn. Intentionality, after all, is the concept that allows both parties to recognize each other’s values, knowledge, and skills, and must be understood in order for an appropriate appreciation of agency and responsibility to develop (Schwartz, 1984).
The descriptive therapist must empathically recognize the patient’s values and status if there is to be negotiation and be especially attuned to the patient’s recognition of the therapist’s status. Similarly, the analyst must be empathic in order to make the analysand’s unconscious actions cognizant and in so doing be in position to usefully analyze the transference and resistance interactions.
So what is empathy and its bearing on intention? Here, I think, are the keys to what identifies good therapists of any stripe. Let me tell you what I mean by empathy. We recognize the other as empathic with us when we feel that they have accurately acted on or somehow acknowledged in stated or unstated fashion our motivations, skills, and knowledge, but especially as they appear to recognize the significance of our actions in a manner that we can tolerate their being recognized. Empathic recognition is not intrusive, overwhelming, sadistic, or otherwise abusive of the vulnerability that such recognition might create especially if what is recognized is potentially shameful or guilt provoking. This recognition of the vulnerability that comes with recognition is what gives so much of good psychotherapy a sense of intimacy and is central to what analysts require of the “tactful” interpretation or of any other intervention.
We can be empathic because we recognize each other’s intentional actions as intentional actions including those that the observed has reasons for claiming or disclaiming. When we interpret behavior as unconscious and do so therapeutically we acknowledge the person’s reasons for acting and disclaiming that action and we do so with tact because we know what the other can tolerate. And there are many ways to do this. Accurate empathic interpretation can take an infinite variety of forms without ever being random or arbitrary: it just must fit. The analyst is especially concerned with an empathic interpretation of transference and resistance. Interpretation of the transference is a particular way of acknowledging the context or learning history of the actions that the analysand directs toward or performs in reference to the analyst. The analysis of the resistance acknowledges the understandable ways the analysand consciously or unconsciously defends his view (and particularly his criticism of the transference analysis).
Analysts and descriptive psychologists make use of the distinctions of motivation, knowledge, skill, performance, achievement and, especially, significance in theireveryday practice. Analysts and descriptive psychologists recognize the conservative nature of personal characteristics and the dynamics of state and status. Therapists in general are attuned to these distinctions with a critical eye and ear to what can be tolerated and used for desired change. This is especially the case when the intervention takes the form of a confrontation. What makes confrontation different in a good psychotherapyfrom what is often the case in other social practices is that it is empathic, that is, informed by what the person confronted can bare.
Earlier I stated that therapists who perform “accreditation ceremonies” must berepresentativemembers of some valued community. But they generally also rely on the additional status of doctor,healer, or other community acknowledged role that accredits them as ones who are eligible to listen, talk, and act in special ways. This is not a trivial point.
J. L. Austin (1975) developed the concept of “the performatives” to identify those language acts in which the saying is essential to the doing of an action as in, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” uttered during appropriate circumstances by a duly sanctioned person. A person’s status provides significant aspects of meaning to what is said and allows certain statements to become performatives. If, during couples therapy, I look to my clients and say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife”, I might be making a joke but I will not be performing a marriage. But if, on the other hand, I look over to them as I sit in my chair behind my couch and say, “you are both reenacting scenes from your childhood in which you felt rage when you made frustrated attempts to get close to your mother and father” then, whether or not I am correct, I will usually be taken seriously since such statements are the sorts of things psychoanalysts say and say in a manner where such interpretations are taken seriously. Psychoanalysts have that eligibility. “Psychoanalyst” or “psychotherapist” is a special status that confers eligibility to act in ways that in other social contexts would seem rude, strange, or inappropriate. Credentials count.
Now what about supervision? I have suggested that the therapist must create a safe place, what I like to call breathing space, in which the therapist and client can work. Similarly, it is the job of the supervisor to foster that kind of context for the work of supervision so that the therapist can examine and perhaps reveal what she has been doing with her patients in a manner that allows an honest exploration. Not an easy task, since so often novice therapists feel guilt and shame about the uncertainty which they reveal when they reflect on their interventions.
The competent therapist does not have to be overly deliberate in her work, she simply knows how to do it. When she is in supervision, however, she is called upon to deliberate about her actions. The supervisor attends chiefly to the clarity of the therapist’s descriptions and critically to whether the described interventions are helpful. Given the usual status asymmetry between therapist and supervisor and given the therapist’s general desire to be a full member of the supervisor’s community, supervision has inherently the potential structure of a degradation or accreditation ceremony with all the attending issues. Good supervisors know this and know how to foster circumstances in which they can perform their function. Given the legal liability that supervisors share with therapists, it is crucial that the supervisor acquire an adequate description of the supervisee’s work. Supervisors want their supervisee’s patients to improve and they don’t want to be sued for their supervisee’s mistakes. The creation of a safe place requires competent recognition of the status dynamics that apply to the supervisor-supervisee relationship and this is why, in part, that an understanding of status dynamics provide the essential tools for supervision, at least in my practice. And, as I said earlier, the neutral or atheoritical form of the status dynamic maxims allow the supervisor access to the intelligibility of the supervisee’s descriptions regardless of the theoretical orientation that one or both parties might embrace.
Let me tell you some about what I have embraced and what I believe all psychoanalysts recognize as the core or their practice and theory. George Klein, in his Psychoanalytic Theory: a study of essentials (1976), attempted a non metapsychological unfolding of psychoanalytic clinical theory which he deliberately presented in an ordinary language fashion with a focus on psychoanalysis as concerned with intentionality as opposed to drive or instinct. R.S. Peters and Wittgenstein provided the philosophical critique of psychoanalysis that Klein took to heart in a fashion that bears resemblance to my reading of Ossorio’s early concerns. With this in mind let me describe my elaboration of Klein’s work and its expansion given other principles of psychoanalysis that can be extracted from the object relations work of Donald Winnicott and the self psychology of Heinz Kohut. But let me remind you: this makes the particular sense it does to me because I am a Descriptive Psychologist. My elaboration is presented in Ordinary Language Essentials of Clinical Psychoanalytic Theory.
Classification space: A multivariate procedure for automatic document indexing and retrieval (LRI Report No. 1)
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here for the full text of this document published in 1964 as a Technical Documentary Report for Rome Air Development Center (RADC).
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1964). Classification space analysis (RADC–TDR–64–287). Rome Air Development Center, New York. (Also published in 1964 as LRI Report No. 1. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 10
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Citation: Bergner, R.M., Davis, K., Lubuguin, F. & Schwartz, W. (Eds.). (2013). Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 10). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Part 1: Worlds
The four chapters in this section center in various ways around the Descriptive Psychological concept of “worlds”. They explore ideas regarding such matters as the core concept of “the real world”, of knowledge of this world, of the worlds of individual persons, and of applications of worlds thinking to understanding dreams and the clinical treatment of suicidal persons. In this introduction, we present brief sketches of the four chapters in order to orient the reader to the ideas of each of their authors.
Part 2: Leadership, Conflict, and Community Change
The three papers in this section all revolve around crucial issues in the stability and change of communities, placing the role of leadership as a central aspect of how such changes evolve and what the ultimate outcomes are for community members. A brief historical note is important here. The concept of community has been a central resource since the founding of the Descriptive Psychological articulation of the Person concept (Putman, 1981; Ossorio, 1982/1983). It was initially given a parametric analysis in which the seven parameters were: members, practices, statuses, concepts, locutions, choice principles, and worlds. The relationship of community as a concept to culture was specified by the same parameters except that the notion of choice principles was given additional prominence and the parameters of concepts and locutions were folded into a larger concept of languages.
Part 3: Selected Topics
The final section of this volume addresses a miscellany of topics. Most are related and applicable to the practice of clinical psychology. Although the comprehensive intellectual discipline of Descriptive Psychology (DP) can be applied to a wide range of interests, real-world human problems and disciplines (as reflected by the content of previous volumes), the clinical applications are perhaps the most broadly practical in nature. In this connection, this section examines trauma concepts, therapeutic policies, empathy, romantic love, and the relationship between masculinity and intimate partner violence. The sixth chapter addresses some conceptual and logical matters relevant to acquiring greater clarity in the understanding of DP’s core Person Concept.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 9
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Citation: K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.). (2010). Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol.9). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
The first section of this volume demonstrates the power, utility, and applicability of Descriptive Psychology (DP) concepts by addressing a broad range of meaningful and important real-life phenomena and problems. As a comprehensive intellectual discipline, DP concepts provide compelling perspectives for comprehending significant aspects of the human condition and practical strategies for solving human problems. By precisely describing, distinguishing among, and explicating the fundamental concepts of important phenomena, DP effectively increases the behavior potential of persons engaged in these phenomena. The clarity that these explications provide improves the understanding of the phenomena, which in turn enhances the competence with which persons can engage in these important endeavors. The particular endeavors addressed in this first section are: (a) enhancing a person’s core competence, which is the competence of being a person in a world of persons and their ways (Ossorio, 2006), (b) teaching clinical psychology doctoral graduate students to become culturally competent psychotherapists, (c) making forensic evaluation of persons more responsive to matters of essential concern to the court, (d) improving the rehabilitation of disabled persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries and/or spinal cord injuries, (e) gaining a clearer understanding of a core life problem characterized by the diminished meaningfulness of persons who are acutely aware of their inevitable death, and providing several specific therapeutic interventions, and (f) understanding the complexities and ordinary mysteries in the process of dying, and the ways in which a person can facilitate a personal death.
Worlds and world construction were there at the beginning of Descriptive Psychology (Davis, 1981). But the canonical presentation of these distinctions came in Ossorio’s (1971/1975/1978/2005) What Actually Happens, and in Mary Roberts (1985) Worlds and World Reconstruction where she laid out the ways in which dreams and stories might function in world reconstruction. In this second section, we have an opportunity to see elaborations and advances in the applications of these distinctions.
Establishing common ground where ideas and meanings can be shared is a foundation for shared purpose and for productive use of differences in perspective. Communities have members who share values, knowledge, and skills relevant to their particular positions. The effectiveness of persons in their roles is bounded, among other things, by the adequacy of the concepts they employ. The papers that follow demonstrate how Descriptive Psychology provides a set of precise conceptual tools that foster access to significant distinctions vital to a variety of communities. The first of the essays provides a basic orientation to Descriptive Psychology, the second articulates a mathematical formulation of “structure”, the third, a clarification of criminality, the fourth unpacks a negotiation of conflict between secular and the religious communities, and the last presents a cautionary note about how significant knowledge and practice can be lost if not adequately transmitted.
Ludwig Wittgenstein taught that meanings follow from use and cannot be private. Use, an action concept, implies a performance, an observable operation or practice, something that can be done, well or poorly. Effective use is an appropriate criterion in evaluating the fit of any concept to actual or potential practice. Peter Ossorio and others, in a manner advocated by Wittgenstein, built the subject matter of Descriptive Psychology. In the resulting conceptual system, effective use and competent practice takes the place that truth values take in ontological systems and metaphysics. The concepts of Descriptive Psychology were designed and articulated using the criteria of real world fit and behavioral effectiveness.
A community develops its objective standards in correspondence to the effective and competent outcomes of the community’s identifying social practices. Shared use requires recognizably shared social practices based on shared elements, operations, and structures, the shared âforms of life that Wittgenstein argued are required for the verbal behaviors he called ‘language games’ to be played successfully. The essays in this last section of the Advances, in their various ways, create useful and public access to key behavioral distinctions that enhance access to particular subject matters.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 8
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Citation: Davis, K.E., & Bergner, R.M. (Eds.). (2006). Advances in Descriptive Psychology: (Vol. 8). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 8 takes on truly challenging intellectual issues, ones that are often treated as intractable or unspeakable within academic discourse.
The first section is devoted to addressing four fundamental questions:
- Just what is this strange, unique, and difficult to grasp entity that is âDescriptive Psychology?
- Why, unlike many other sciences, has the science of psychology thus far been unable to arrive at a single, widely accepted, unifying framework, and thus remained in a highly fragmented state?
- Is it possible that one day the science of psychology will be replaced entirely by that of biology? Is it possible, in other words, that all of the phenomena that we currently explain by recourse to notions like ‘reason’, ‘belief’, and ‘emotion’ will be better explained by ones like ‘synaptic event’, ‘action potential’, or whatever the then current biological construct system proffers?
- Where does our freedom lie? In what respects do we enjoy human freedom, and what are the limitations on this freedom?
In the second section, we have eight chapters that range in their focus from profound questions, such as Where do thoughts come from? What implications do thoughts have for actors in life’s drama? How are the having of thoughts and one’s ability to engage in construction and reconstruction of one’s world related? to more practical but equally important concerns. Among the latter are questions such as “How does one defend and justify therapeutic practices and interventions when one has not already engaged in the numerous empirical studies ’required’ for their validation?” Or just how many types of stalkers are there and how should they be managed?
Keith E. Davis
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 7
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Citation: Jeffrey. H.J., & Bergner, R.M. (Eds.). (1998). Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 7). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
The work of Peter Ossorio, beginning with the publication of Persons in the early 1960s, created a new discipline for the scientific study of persons: Descriptive Psychology. Just as physics is the discipline in which the core concepts are matter, energy, and physical movement, and the scientific work is carefully and precisely articulating the relationships among them, Descriptive Psychology is the discipline in which the core concepts are person, behavior, language, and the real world, and the scientific work is carefully and precisely articulating the relationships between persons, what they do, what they say, and the world in which these things take place. Ossorio of course is not the first person to address these topics, which have been the focus of philosophers and psychologists for millenia; he is the first to articulate a rigorous, precise, coherent conceptual framework for doing so.
A discipline that actually addresses something as fundamental as the nature of human behavior in the real world would be expected to have extraordinarily broad application, and that is exactly what the several volumes of work that comprise Advances in Descriptive Psychology show. Topics in which the concepts of Descriptive Psychology have been used to yield new insights, fundamental re-conceptualizations, and useful techniques include, among others, psychotherapy and psychopathology, information retrieval (including a recent patent on a search algorithm), artificial intelligence, spirituality, culture and identity, economics, and computer simulation of human organizations and cultures. This volume, the seventh in the Advances series, continues that pattern. The reader will find highly original work in three general areas: ontology and consciousness; being a member of a culture; and education and coaching.
The volume begins with Ossorio’s “What There Is, How Things Are,” a profound and unique treatment of the most basic of questions: what does it mean to say that a person exists, and can we articulate the facts about people without being forced into the intractable logical dilemma of reductionism and materialism? Following this, the reader will find work addressing in fundamentally different ways the central concepts of cognitive science and of consciousness; a unique analysis of the work by the famous film maker Akira Kurosawa; papers addressing some of the most important social and political issues of our day, namely membership and identity in cultures; the psychological and psychotherapeutic handling of self-criticism; techniques for the classroom teacher; and a thorough discussion of the central issues in coaching (in and out of sports): leadership, motivation, and teaching.
The payoff of having a solid foundation is that you can build higher without having the structure become unsound. Taken together, the work in Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. VII, illustrates that payoff, in the form of analyses, conceptualizations, and techniques in a highly diverse range of subjects, that cannot be found anywhere else.
H. Joel Jeffrey
Marketing Your Services : A Step-By-Step Guide for Small Businesses and Professionals
Citation: Putman, A.O. (1990). Marketing Your Services: A Step-by-Step guide for Small Businesses and Professionals. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
How to market your services, whether you are a small-business owner looking for increased sales or an independent professional seeking new clients. Shows how to define specific markets, focus advertising efforts there profitably, and differentiate your business from others in the public eye. Also discusses how to price services, “package” your product, turn prospects into customers, and develop and use advertising.
Pathological Self-Criticism : Assessment and Treatment (The Plenum Series in Social-Clinical Psychology)
Citation: Bergner, R.M. (1995). Pathological Self-Criticism: Assessment and Treatment (The Springer Series in Social/Clinical Psychology). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
Raymond M. Bergner offers the first comprehensive reference to address the highly prevalent and debilitating forms of self-criticism. This resource features an extensive array of strategies for assessing these patterns as well as the factors maintaining them. In addition, the volume is complete with therapeutic intervention strategies to help patients abandon pathological self-critical practices. The author describes a therapeutic relationship that greatly enhances the efficacy of the interventions mentioned throughout the book.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 6. Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania.
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Citation: Roberts, M.K., & Bergner, R.M. (Eds.). (1992). Clinical Topics: Contributions to the Conceptualization and Treatment of Adolescent-Family Problems, Bulimia, Chronic Mental Illness, and Mania. Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 6).Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
This volume develops two basic themes, both related to the practice of psychotherapy. The first of these sections focuses on some conceptual foundations for clinical practice, the second on more “how-to” applications of these foundations.
In the opening chapter of part one, Holmes elaborates Peter Ossorio’s cryptic statement that in therapy we should ‘treat persons as persons.’ Holmes articulates precisely what it means to do so, and contrasts this with treating people as some sort of deterministic mechanism under the control of environment, biology, or other force. In the following chapter, Roberts relates some understandings gleaned from her clinical work with elderly widows and widowers who continued to ‘see’ their deceased spouses, and who wished to make sense of this experience. The work explores the sense that these and other ‘companions of uncertain status’ make, and provides understandings that permit a more informed and sensitive clinical approach to persons visited by such ‘companions.’ In the ensuing chapter, Roberts tackles a wholly different topic, that of adolescence. Rather than taking a traditional stage approach, Roberts focuses on adolescence as a time in which a person develops from a child whose primary status is in the family into an adult who, having acquired adult competencies, can take his or her place in society. In the final chapter of part one, Bretscher and Bergner describe their research on the the factors that figure most prominently in selection of a life partner. In the chapter, they review previous research on the nature of love itself, and then report how the presence of the dimensions of love (e.g., mutual advocacy, intimacy, trust, respect, and exclusiveness) are far more predictive of mate selection than are the factors traditionally explored in the mainstream literature.
Part two of this volume, focused on clinical practice, begins with Bergner’s introduction of an integrative framework for psychopathology and psychotherapy. Built around the Descriptive definition of the concept of pathology, the work shows how all of the major extant approaches to psychotherapy relate to each other, and in the bargain presents an integrative approach to doing psychotherapy. In the second chapter of part two, Zeiger uses Agatha Christie’s famous detective, Miss Jane Marple, as the model for a particular approach to doing psychological assessment. The chapter demonstrates how this seemingly loose, intuitive, and informal approach is supported by a formal conceptual system, and articulates some of the features of this system. In the following chapter, Bergner and Staggs present a new and comprehensive approach to the positive therapeutic relationship. This approach, incorporating but far more elaborated than Rogers’, is built around the assignment of nine distinct statuses to clients and the subsequent treatment of them as having these statuses. In the fourth chapter in this section, Wechsler, departing from the widespread view that mania is a wholly biological phenomenon, presents an interactive conception in which both psychology and biology play a role, and details some valuable psychological interventions for working with manic individuals. In the fifth chapter, Roberts, based on her earlier chapter on adolescence, articulates a therapeutic approach to doing psychotherapy with adolescents and their families. In chapter six, Marshall outlines both a new understanding of bulimia as a rebellion against a certain kind of alienating self-dictatorial regime, and the implications of this understanding for a wholly new approach to the clinical treatment of bulimics. In the seventh and final chapter, Orvik presents a redescription of chronically mentally ill persons as ‘dropped out’ of their various communities and, built upon this, an approach to treatment that stresses changing these communities.
On the whole, this volume presents an extraordinarily rich tapestry of clinical understandings and interventions not found elsewhere in the clinical literature.
Raymond M. Bergner
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 5
Citation: Putman, A.O., & Davis, K.E. (Eds.). 1990. Advances in Descriptive Psychology (Vol. 5). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
Two themes are explored in this volume: (1) the nature of organizations and conceptual tools for enhancing organizational effectiveness and (2) the nature of appraisals and their role in life and in therapeutic applications. Putman’s “Organizations” provides an alternative to general systems theories and shows how a Descriptive Psychology formulation of organizations allows one to understand the three perspectives on organizational worlds machine, financial, and person that develop in almost any organization. He identifies organizational interventions to clarify and renew organizational mission, and to enhance productivity and job satisfaction. Other chapters focus on culture change and technology transfer and on various aspects of person-machine and person-software interactions. These provide insights into the difficulties encountered in effective software engineering, and into the importance of a sophisticated conception of artificial intelligence.
In the second section, seven chapters address the concept of appraisal and its implications in a variety of setting. Ossorio’s “Appraisal” reviews the various uses of the concept within Descriptive Psychology and shows the coherence and interrelatedness of the uses of the concept. Holt makes it clear why appraisals are an essential part of the development of moral judgment and behavior. Sapin and Forward develop the implications of the insight that everyday concerns about “masculinity” and “femininity” are critic terms used to appraise behavior, not merely to describe it. Using the Descriptive Psychology distinctions between performative appraisals and significance appraisals of behavior, they show that persons operating at the performative level are more likely to stereotype persons along sex-role lines. Lathem is concerned with self-appraisals and self-criticism and how these are related to gender and to power. Bergner’s papers develop the direct clinical implications of appraisals. In the case of “impulsive persons,” he shows that it is a mistake to think that they are defective in executive function. Rather their behaviors may be criticizable on ethical and prudential grounds. In “Father-Daughter Incest,” he illuminates the power of the concept of status degradations in the kinds of negative self-appraisals that incest victims characteristically develop. Understanding these negative self-appraisals provides the starting point for therapeutic interventions likely to reduce the trauma and consequences of such incest. Overall, this is a very rich volume indeed.
Place. Collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. III
Two editions of this book were published, a hard cover edition in 1998 and a soft cover edition in 2012.
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the 2012 edition, published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Citation:
Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1998/2012). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 30a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
The Behavior of Persons. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. V
Two editions of this book were published by Descriptive Psychology Press. A hardcover edition was published in 2006 as Vol. V of Ossorio’s Collected Works. This edition did not have an index. A second paperback edition was published in 2013, with a comprehensive index, but without an indication that it was a re-publication of Collected Works Vol. 5. The following link is to a copy of the 2013 paperback edition.
Click here for a copy of the full text PDF of the 2013 edition of this book.
Citation: Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Previously published as Ossorio, P.G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. V). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.)
The Behavior of Persons is the capstone of an extraordinary construction, the summary of a life’s work devoted to a single task. What that task is, why it is worth accomplishing, and how it has been, in fact, accomplished are all matters explored at length in the book itself. Peter G. Ossorio in his life’s work accomplished a monumental undertaking: he articulated the complex and fundamental conceptual structure known as the Person concept. Ossorio’s work has made it possible to talk clearly and accurately about matters of great significance: persons, behavior, community, language, and the real world within which all these have their place. All these, and more, are parts of this single conceptual structure. By articulating the Person concept in detail and with great rigor, Ossorio has laid the foundation for both a genuinely scientific study of behavior, and powerfully effective practical methods of functioning in these realms.
Praise for The Behavior of Persons
“Reading and re-reading The Behavior of Persons is a rare, life-changing event. As your understanding of it grows, your place in the world changes: You see an integrated conceptual system that shows how persons, their behavior and their worlds are connected. Ossorio brings conceptual light to the darkness of a purely empirical world.”
Keith E. Davis, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology University of South Carolina.
“Here, finally, we have a serviceable common ground for systematic behavioral science. Peter Ossorio has articulated the conceptual framework for describing the varied and irregular lives of persons and their nuanced world. Wittgenstein recognized that ‘essence is expressed by grammar’. Here is the grammar of behavior – an extraordinary claim, yes, but The Behavior of Persons is an extraordinary work.”
Wynn Schwartz, Ph.D.
The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Harvard University.
“Few thinkers can so profoundly bring coherence to professional practice as well as personal understanding as Peter Ossorio. The Behavior of Persons allows the practitioner to reconstruct and create a coherent and eminently practical approach to our work as therapists, as well as ways to illuminate aspects of our own lives.”
Richard Heinrich, MD
Medical Director for Hospice and Palliative Care Health Partners.
“Peter Ossorio’s The Behavior of Persons, if it achieves sufficient attention, will be the most important book in the history of psychology. Psychology is at present a largely failed science. The Behavior of Persons offers us a very different fundamental approach to our entire discipline, one that is far more scientifically and intellectually sound.”
Raymond M. Bergner, Ph.D.
Professor of Clinical Psychology, Illinois State University.
“People are complicated. We’re influenced by conflicting wants, needs, relationships, and all the many facets of who we are. But our lives make sense and what we do makes sense in the everyday, down-to-earth, here’s-how-it-works way. This book is what psychology has been promising since it began: a clear, precise, systematic formulation of how people and their actions make sense.”
H. Joel Jeffrey, Ph.D.
Professor of Computing Science
Northern Illinois University
“Descriptive Psychology has greatly benefited my work to clarify complex and emerging subject matters in healthcare. In The Behavior of Persons Peter Ossorio unfolds ideas of ‘behavior’ and ‘persons’ in a clear, unified, and systematic way, bringing out ways of thinking with practical applications to many complex subject matters. A healthcare colleague once remarked ‘Descriptive Psychologists help you be much clearer about what you are looking at.’ To me this is high praise.”
C.J. Peek, Ph.D.
Family Medicine and Community Health
University of Minnesota Medical School
Persons. The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. I.
Click here for the full text PDF of the volume published by Descriptive Psychology Press.
Click here to access a PDF of this LRI Report from CU Scholar.
Citation:
Ossorio, P. G. (1966/1995). Persons. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. I. Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work
published 1966 as LRI Report No. 3. Los Angeles, CA, & Boulder,
CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 4
Citation: Davis, K.E., and Mitchell, T. (Eds.). (1985). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 4. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Click here to view the full text PDF, but without Dr. Ossorio’s chapters…
Dr. Ossorio’s chapters are made available separately as links to copies of the original LRI reports available from the Peter G. Ossorio Papers at the University of Colorado Special Collections and Archives. Please consult the individual citation pages for Dr. Ossorio’s publications in order to access the LRI Reports.
Links to PDF copies of all non-Ossorio chapters are also provided on this site under each author’s name, with each author retaining copyright and the right to have their chapter removed upon request.
A note regarding copyright status: This volume of Advances in Descriptive Psychology was originally published by JAI Press. Copyright was subsequently acquired by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. In communications with that publisher, the Society for Descriptive Psychology was informed that Volumes 1-4 of Advances in Descriptive Psychology are out-of-print and that copyright for those volumes has reverted to the principal volume editor, Keith Davis, Ph.D. Dr. Davis then reassigned copyright for each of the individual chapters to its authors.
Written communication between Jessica Kingsley Publishers, the Society for Descriptive Psychology, and Keith Davis about these copyright changes are retained by the Society Secretary and are available on request.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 3
Citation: Davis, K.E., and Bergner, R. (Eds.). (1983). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 3. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Click here for a PDF copy of the full volume text, including Table of Contents, but without Dr. Ossorio’s chapters…
Dr. Ossorio’s chapters are made available separately as links to copies of the original LRI reports available from the Peter G. Ossorio Papers at the University of Colorado Special Collections and Archives. Please consult the individual citation pages for Dr. Ossorio’s publications in order to access the LRI Reports.
Links to PDF copies of all non-Ossorio chapters are provided on this site under each author’s name, with each author retaining copyright and the right to have their chapter removed upon request.
A note regarding copyright status: This volume of Advances in Descriptive Psychology was originally published by JAI Press. Copyright was subsequently acquired by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. In communications with that publisher, the Society for Descriptive Psychology was informed that Volumes 1-4 of Advances in Descriptive Psychology are out-of-print and that copyright for those volumes has reverted to the principal volume editor, Keith Davis, Ph.D. Dr. Davis then reassigned copyright for each of the individual chapters to its authors.
Written communication between Jessica Kingsley Publishers, the Society for Descriptive Psychology, and Keith Davis about these copyright changes are retained by the Society Secretary and are available on request.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 2
Citation: Davis, K.E., and Mitchell, T. (Eds.). (1982). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 2. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Click here for a PDF copy of the full volume text, including Table of Contents, but without Dr. Ossorio’s chapters…
Dr. Ossorio’s chapters are made available separately as links to copies of the original LRI reports available from the Peter G. Ossorio Papers at the University of Colorado Special Collections and Archives. Please consult the individual citation pages for Dr. Ossorio’s publications in order to access the LRI Reports.
Links to PDF copies of all non-Ossorio chapters are provided on this site under each author’s name, with each author retaining copyright and the right to have their chapter removed upon request.
A note regarding copyright status: This volume of Advances in Descriptive Psychology was originally published by JAI Press. Copyright was subsequently acquired by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. In communications with that publisher, the Society for Descriptive Psychology was informed that Volumes 1-4 of Advances in Descriptive Psychology are out-of-print and that copyright for those volumes has reverted to the principal volume editor, Keith Davis, Ph.D. Dr. Davis then reassigned copyright for each of the individual chapters to its authors.
Written communication between Jessica Kingsley Publishers, the Society for Descriptive Psychology, and Keith Davis about these copyright changes are retained by the Society Secretary and are available on request.
Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Volume 1
Click here for a PDF copy of the full volume text, but including only abstracts for Dr. Ossorio’s chapters (see below)…
Citation: Davis, K.E. (Eds.). (1981). Advances in Descriptive Psychology, Vol. 1. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Dr. Ossorio’s chapters are made available separately as links to copies of the original LRI reports available from the Peter G. Ossorio Papers at the University of Colorado Special Collections and Archives. Please consult the individual citation pages for Dr. Ossorio’s publications in order to access the LRI Reports.
Links to PDF copies of all non-Ossorio chapters are provided on this site under each author’s name, with each author retaining copyright and the right to have their chapter removed upon request.
A note regarding copyright status: This volume of Advances in Descriptive Psychology was originally published by JAI Press. Copyright was subsequently acquired by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. In communications with that publisher, the Society for Descriptive Psychology was informed that Volumes 1-4 of Advances in Descriptive Psychology are out-of-print and that copyright for those volumes has reverted to the principal volume editor, Keith Davis, Ph.D. Dr. Davis then reassigned copyright for each of the individual chapters to its authors.
Written communication between Jessica Kingsley Publishers, the Society for Descriptive Psychology, and Keith Davis about these copyright changes are retained by the Society Secretary and are available on request.