Jeffrey S. Applegate

Cognitive Neuroscience, Neurobiology and Affect Regulation: Implications for Clinical Social Work

The purpose of this article is to review and consider the ways in which recent advances in cognitive neuroscience and neurobiology inform a biopsychosocial perspective for understanding and intervening with at-risk families. Specifically, our focus is on the ways in which such work contributes to our understanding of affect regulation as an important determinant and consequence of early interactive experience. In turn, this knowledge can be employed both in primary prevention and in later intervention with families whose well being has been compromised by affect dysregulation.

Theory as Story: A Postmodern Tale

After locating postmodernism in its historical and epistemological contexts, this article takes the postmodern position that the behavioral theories that have informed clinical social work practice over the last century are stories with texts written by authors whose place in historical time, life experience, and personal proclivities shaped both the plots of the stories and the manner in which they were told. A review of the most influential theory-stories lays the groundwork for addressing two questions: What can postmodernism do for clinical social work? And what can clinical social work do for postmodernism?

Adolescent fatherhood: Developmental perils and potentials

Both adolescence and parenthood are developmental phases that induce regression and psychosocial vulnerability as part of the preparation for progressive identity consolidation. What happens when these phases converge in the lives of young men? In this article, the author employs a psychodynamic conceptual framework to explicate the unique developmental dilemmas of adolescent fatherhood. Resulting formulations are intended to assist clinicians in designing interventions that minimize the regressive perils and maximize the progressive potentials of this untimely convergence of life transitions.

Theory, culture, and behavior: Object relations in context

The purpose of this article is to explore aspects of contemporary object relations theory in relation to sociocultural variations in family constellation, childrearing practices, and race and ethnicity. The theoretical framework for this exploration derives from Winnicotts concept of the “potential space” between person and environment as the location of cultural experience. The author argues that Winnicotts ideas provide a clinically useful way to think about transactions between the internal world of object relations and the external world of cultural diversity. The article concludes with some implications for social work practice.

Child Care as a Relational Context for Early Development: Research in Neurobiology and Emerging Roles for Social Work

The quality of child care in the United States is an important social problem, particularly for economically vulnerable families. This is highlighted by multidisciplinary research on the importance of early caregiving as a determinant of child health and wellbeing. This article examines center-based child care as an important relational and developmental context for infants and young children. Through an integration of psychosocial studies and emerging research in the cognitive neurosciences, this paper describes how developmental research on early emotional development can be utilized to inform our understanding of child care as a critical social and interpersonal context for infants and young children. In particular, this paper examines research on early interpersonal experience as a determinant of the capacity for affect regulation. Focusing on the application of theory to practice, this paper discusses the relevance of this research to informed direct practice, advocacy and program development.

The Impact of Subjective Measures on Nonbehavioral Practice Research: Outcome vs. Process

The author describes a study designed to assess the therapeutic reactive effects of filling out subjective self-ratings administered during a period of psychodynamic clinical social work intervention. A summary of quantitative findings related to outcome is followed by a more detailed presentation of anecdotal findings related to the impact of subjective measures on the intervention process. Results are considered in terms of their implications for social works current interest in single-system designs and the challenges of applying these designs to nonbehavioral practice.

Beyond the dyad: Including the father in separation-individuation

As a result of changes in family role distribution generated by the Womens Movement, many fathers are participating more directly in the care of their infants and young children. To be responsive to this change in the ecology of parenting, clinicians must reconsider and update traditional formulations about fatherhood toward, an expanded theoretical perspective for learning about and helping families. Using Mahlers phases of separation-individuation as an organizing conceptual framework, the author, reviews recent theory and empirical findings regarding the role of the father in preoedipal development and discusses some implications for social work practice.

The developmental dialectic: Its place in clinical listening

This article explores the ongoing internal dialectic between developmental states of merger and autonomy as it unfolds in clinical practice. A review of contemporary theory and illustrative case material suggest that attending to this dialectic-both in the client and in oneself-enhances clinical listening and fosters empathic attunement.

Repairing the nest: A psychodynamic developmental approach to clients with severe behavior disorders

In this article, the authors explicate concepts from psychodynamic developmental theory that can foster affirmative assessment and intervention with clients who have developmental disabilities and present severe behavior disorders. A case example illustrates how making bonding the primary goal of intervention appears to facilitate positive behavior change in these clients while reducing feelings of helplessness and discouragement in their caregivers.

Transitional phenomena in adolescence: Tools for negotiating the second individuation

The purpose of this article is to heighten clinicians awareness of the integrative potential of transitional phenomena in adolescent ego development. A review of the literature and presentation of clinical examples support the authors contention that adolescents may employ transitional phenomena to assist them through developmental turbulence reminiscent of original rap-prochement crises in early separation-individuation. An understanding of how adolescent clients may use transitional phenomena provides clinicians with an expanded perspective for differential assessment and intervention.