Marvin J. Feldman

The use of obscene words in the therapeutic relationship.

ConclusionIn summary, it has been pointed out that Ferenczis insights into the nature of obscene words might be reconsidered and fruitfully expanded. A first refinement was to note that affect attached to obscence words is elicited in specific interpersonal contexts rather than as a general property of such words. From this initial statement it seemed to follow that the timing of the use of obscene words is important in therapy. If the affect attached to such words is to be elicited, it was suggested that the therapist must not use obscene words himself or press the patient to use them too early in therapy. The therapist must first be perceived as a “significant other.”From this, a more general principle of therapy was stated, namely that the therapist should not explicitly tell a patient that all feelings and attitudes will be accepted without question or that certain of the patients acts are condoned. To do so might prevent the therapist from being perceived as a “significant other.”Finally, the discussion of obscene words seems to be one aspect of a more general process of intellectualization. An understanding of the nature of obscene words was believed to furnish some insight into the conditions for the patients maintaining intellectual defenses and for the therapists helping to break through them.

The Effects of the Size of Criterion Groups and the Level of Significance in Selecting Test Items on the Validity of Tests

IN the course of constructing a prognosis scale for shock therapy (i), several statistical problems came to the author’s attention which seemed generally applicable to test construction. This paper presents empirical data bearing on two of these problems: (i) the relationship between the size of the criterion group and the amount of shrinkage in validity accruing in crossvalidation. (2) the effect of using different levels of significance in selecting discriminating items from the criterion groups.

Queries on Existential Psychothepapy

AFTER World War II, psychotherapy in Europe was heavily infused with the ideas and concepts of existential philosophy. More recently the existential orientation has begun to evoke considerable interest among psychotherapists in America. As with any new approach, critical examination seems in order. Most evaluations to date have not gone much beyond noting the vagueness and difficulties of the concepts. (6) The language is often ponderous both in the original and in translation. While I might agree with these criticisms, it is not particularly illuminating to say so. I have set a two-fold task for myself. First, to examine some of the basic notions of existentialism pertaining to observation, and second,