Neurological exclusiveness or unified science inclusiveness: Comment on Schwartz et al. (2016).

Schwartz, Lilienfeld, Meca, and Sauvigné (2016) argue effectively and productively that neuroscience is monistic (excludes other fields) in a way that affects negatively psychology department makeup, psychology grant support, and the way students are trained. They conclude, rather, that it is important to effect an inclusion of different fields of psychology. This paper broadens and strengthens their position. However, it also points out that a call for inclusiveness raises a central question. How is inclusiveness to be accomplished? Without stipulation to the contrary the call is for an eclecticism. As Schwartz et al. indicate, unified theory is now rejected because grand theory in the past has been monistic. However, science moves on; there are unified theories today that are inclusive. Thus, development of an area in psychology is needed that studies, evaluates, and advances works that unify inclusively, the present article being an example. (PsycINFO Database Record

El papel de las emociones positivas y negativas en la predicción de depresión: el principio de adicción de las emociones en el conductismo psicológico / The role of positive and negative emotions in the prediction of depression: the psychological behaviorism principle of additivity of emotions

Las emociones constituyen un tema central de la teoría Conductismo Psicológico (Staats, 1996, 2003). En este trabajo se examina uno de los principios de esta teoría, el efecto aditivo de las emociones positivas y negativas, en el contexto del estudio de la depresión. Se han utilizado las escalas THARL como medida de los dos tipos de emoción que pueden tener origen tanto en el mundo de los pensamientos como en la experiencia de la vida real. Los participantes completaron el cuestionario de depresión BDI y las escalas THARL. Se formaron tres grupos de sujetos –uno con dos fuentes de emociones positivas, un segundo grupo con una fuente de emoción positiva y otra negativa, y un tercer grupo con dos fuentes de emoción negativa. Se puso de manifiesto mediante un análisis univariado de la varianza un efecto significativo de la emoción negativa y de la positiva en la variable depresión. Se utilizó la prueba “post hoc” de Bonferroni para estimar diferencias entre los grupos. Se comprobó así el principio aditivo de las emociones, aunque parece que las emociones negativas tienen un mayor efecto en la depresión. Un análisis confirmatorio mediante un path analysis con variables latentes apoyó estos resultados evidenciando un efecto conjunto de las fuentes de emoción positiva y negativa sobre la depresión. Estos resultados pueden ser de interés para entender la emoción como una parte central de la personalidad y, también, para entender trastornos específicos de la emoción como la depresión de una manera que puede ser básica para la evaluación clínica y la terapia

This paper examines the PB principle of additivity of positive and negative emotions within the framework of the study of depression. The THARL scales were used to measure both types of emotions stemming both from the world of thoughts and from the real life experience. Participants filled out the BDI depression questionnaire and the THARL scales. Three groups of participants were made up –one group with two sources of positive emotion, a second group having negative and positive sources of emotion and a third group with two sources of negative emotion. A univariate ANOVA yielded a significant effect of negative and positive emotions on depression. The Bonferroni post hoc test was used to check between group differences. Thus, the principle of additivity of emotions was proved, although negative emotions appear to have a bigger effect on depression. These results were further supported by a confirmatory analysis (path analysis with latent variables), showing that the positive and negative sources of emotions had a joint effect on depression. These results may be valuable to understand the central role played by emotion in personality and to understand emotional disorders such as depression and hence to help therapists in clinical assessment and treatment

The psychological behaviorism theory of pain and the placebo: its principles and results of research application.

The psychological behaviorism theory of pain unifies biological, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral theories of pain and facilitates development of a common vocabulary for pain research across disciplines. Pain investigation proceeds in seven interacting realms: basic biology, conditioned learning, language cognition, personality differences, pain behavior, the social environment, and emotions. Because pain is an emotional response, examining the bidirectional impact of emotion is pivotal to understanding pain. Emotion influences each of the other areas of interest and causes the impact of each factor to amplify or diminish in an additive fashion. Research based on this theory of pain has revealed the ameliorating impact on pain of (1) improving mood by engaging in pleasant sexual fantasies, (2) reducing anxiety, and (3) reducing anger through various techniques. Application of the theory to therapy improved the results of treatment of osteoarthritic pain. The psychological behaviorism theory of the placebo considers the placebo a stimulus conditioned to elicit a positive emotional response. This response is most powerful if it is elicited by conditioned language. Research based on this theory of the placebo that pain is ameliorated by a placebo suggestion and augmented by a nocebo suggestion and that pain sensitivity and pain anxiety increase susceptibility to a placebo.

Women and vulnerability to depression: some personality and clinical factors.

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of sex differences and personality in vulnerability to depression. Sex differences in personality and some clinical variables are described. We also assess the value of the variables that revealed significant sex differences as predictors of vulnerability to depression. In a group of adult participants (N = 112), 50% males and 50% females (mean age = 41.30; SD = 15.09; range 17-67), we studied sex differences in the three-factor personality model, using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Form A (EPQ-A; Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975), and in the Five-Factor Personality Model, with the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI; Costa & McCrae, 1985). The following clinical scales were used: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), the Schizotypy Questionnaire (STQ; Claridge & Broks, 1984; Spanish version, Carrillo & Rojo, 1999), the THARL Scales (Dua, 1989, 1990; Spanish version, Dua & Carrillo, 1994) and the Adjustment Inventory (Bell, 1937; Spanish version, Cerdá, 1980). Subsequently, simple linear regression analysis, with BDI scores as criterion, were performed to estimate the value of the variables as predictors of vulnerability to depression. The results indicate that a series of personality variables cause women to be more vulnerable to depression than men and that these variables could be explained by a negative emotion main factor. Results are discussed within the framework of the psychological behaviorism theory of depression.

Personalidad, emociones y dolor / Personality, emotions and pain

El dolor constituye un ámbito de estudio y de intervención multidisciplinar de primera magnitud para las ciencias de la salud no sólo por lo que supone de sufrimiento humano, sino por sus repercusiones económicas. Sin embargo, el dolor no puede reducirse a una consideración biomédica y son cada vez más necesarios acercamientos multidimensionales, acercamientos entre los que la perspectiva psicosocial tiene una relevancia creciente. D entro de esta perspectiva psicosocial uno de los enfoques actuales más productivos en el estudio de los componentes psicológicos del dolor es la teoría del Conductismo Psicológico ?Pyschological Behaviorism? (Carrillo et al., 1996, 2001, 2002; Staats, WA. W., 1997; Staats, P. S. et al., 1996). Analizamos desde esta teoría una de las primeras aplicaciones clínicas llevadas a cabo para controlar el dolor a partir de sus componentes psicológicos: el planteamiento de fordyce aplicado en contextos hospitalarios, planteamiento guiado por las directrices operantes de Skinner. en este trabajo se intentan analizar las limitaciones del enfoque de Fordyce que derivan, en parte,de una interpretación incompleta el planteamiento skinneriano, pero, sobre todo, por las propias limitaciones teóricas de este planteamiento. Un enfoque más adecuado para el control de los componentes psicológicos del dolor necesita un acercamiento conductual integrador que implique un nivel de análisis de la personalidad y la consideración de la experiencia dolorosa como una respuesta emocional que pueda vincularse a los niveles biológico, aprendizaje pasado, medio actual, conducta y respuesta del medio a la conducta (AU)

Pain is a field of major importance for research and multi-disciplinary intervention in health sciences not only because of the underlying human suffering but also because of its economic implications. Nevertheless, pain cannot be limited to a biomedical issue. Multidimensional approaches are needed, among which the psychosexual view is increasingly relevant. Within this psychosocial approach, the psychological behaviourism is one of the most productive current views in the study of pain psychological components ( Carrillo et al., 1996, 2001, 2002; Staats, 1997; Staats, et al., 1996). From this approach, we have analysed one of the pioneer clinical applications to control pain from its psychological components ?Fordyce?s approach implemented in a hospital. This method fellows Skinner?s operating guidelines. This paper checks Fordyce?s approach limitations, coming partially from a biased interpretation of Skinner?s theory, but mainly from its own theoretical limitations. A more appropriate focus on the control of pain psychological components would need a comprehensive behavioural approach. This approach involves an analysis of personality and addresses painful experience as an emotional response with links to biological, past learning, current environment, behaviour and the environmental response to behaviour levels (AU)