1. "Affektives ablehnendes Verhalten als Merkmal einer Projektion am Beispiel des Machtkomplexes"

Experimentelles Praktikum II, WS 1997/98, Praktikumsleiter: Dipl.-Psych. H. Götzl
Peter Ammann, Gräfrather Str. 28, 42329 Wuppertal
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät für Psychologie, D-44780 Bochum

Zusammenfassung:
Diese Untersuchung geht einer Annahme der Prozeß-orientierten Psychologie Arnold Mindells (Bereich der Tiefenpsychologie) nach. Mindell sagt, dass man seine unbewußte Persönlichkeitsanteile(sekundäre Prozesse) entdecken kann, indem man sich fragt, welche Person und das mit ihr verbundene Verhalten man affektiv ablehnt. Dieser Annahme liegt das Phänomen der Projektion zugrunde.
Diese Fragestellung wurde am Beispiel von Macht überprüft. Es wurde mittels eines projektiven Tests die Machtmotivation und mit verschiedenen Fragebögen die bewusste Einstellung der Versuchspersonen (Vpn) zu Macht ermittelt. In der experimentellen Situation betrachteten die Vpn machtthematische und neutrale Filmszenen. Nach jeder Filmszene gaben die Vpn mit Hilfe des Eindrucksdifferential nach Ertel an, welchen gefühlsmäßigen Eindruck die Filmszene bei ihnen hinterlassen hat. Während der ganzen Zeit wurden die Vpn videographiert, um über die mimische Reaktion einen weiteren indirekten Eindruck der affektiven Beurteilung zu erhalten.
Die Ergebnisse konnten diese Mindells Annahme signifikant bestätigen und standen in Bezug auf die Machtmotivation auch im Einklang mit den Befunden der Motivationspsychologie. Diese, wenn auch eher kleine Studie, ist eine weitere der wenigen, die das Phänomen der Projektion empirisch überprüft haben.

Schlüsselwörter: Projektion, bewusste und unbewusste Einstellung zu Macht, TAT, Eindrucksdifferential, affektive Bewertung von Filmszenen.

In Kürze wird die ganze Arbeit mit Abbildungen als PDF hier zu finden sein!

2. "Reaching out to People in Comatose States: Are Contact and Communication Possible?"

Extended abstract:

This research is a extensive survey and an explorative empirical study on awareness in comatose states and the possibility of contact and communication with comatose patients in a neurological intensive care unit setting using Process Oriented coma work methods developed by Arnold Mindell.

It provides present-day definitions and comparisons of terms such as coma, vegetative state, minimally conscious state, locked-in syndrome and psychogenic unresponsiveness in the field of neuroscience. Standard definitions of consciousness and its assessment by coma scales, coma scoring systems and neurological correlates will be presented. Findings of comatose and vegetative state patients’ ability not only to hear (sensation) but also to understand meaning (perception) are compiled. A survey of studies on patients’ reports after a period of unconsciousness shows evidence for awareness in so-called unconscious states. Studies which have surveyed diagnostic accuracy in respect of vegetative state and minimally conscious state in recent years show up to 43% of misdiagnosis and reveal the challenge of assessing disorders of consciousness. A survey of most relevant recent findings of evidence of consciousness in coma, vegetative state and minimally conscious state and also reports on late improvement from vegetative state and minimally conscious state are presented. A further investigation of consciousness revisiting the definitions, basic assumptions and current basic questions are shared. Wilber’s integral theory of consciousness, Tart’s concept of altered states of consciousness and Mindell’s dreambody and field concepts are explained to come to a deeper understanding and wider concept of consciousness and the process oriented approach to people in comatose states. A short overview of rehabilitation methods is followed by a description of process oriented coma work, its basic assumptions and application. All strands presented lead to an integral process oriented approach to people in comatose states: different approaches to consciousness are set in a wider context, philosophical, cultural and ethical aspects and their consequences are discussed and finally the process oriented approach to comatose people is explored from a personal, relationship, environmental and field point of view.

The object of this research is to test Mindell’s assumption that coma is not a state of absence of consciousness as defined in neuroscience but an extremely deep altered state of consciousness in which there is potential for awareness and therefore for contact and communication. For this purpose physiological parameters (heart rate variability and skin conductance resistance) and overt behavior of comatose patients in a neurological intensive care unit were investigated in response to process oriented coma work. Coma depth was assessed by Glasgow Coma Scale (score of <8). Of the 16 patients who took part in the research 8 are included this study. Due to a great extent of artifacts in the heart rate only the skin conductance resistance (in patients 2 to 7) could be analyzed. The skin conductance resistance of Patient 1 could not be recorded. Instead his overt behavior documented by a video camera is described in a translated verbatim transcription of the session.

Results: Patient 1 (GCS: 4, non-sedated) increasingly showed clear and strong reactions including opening and focusing eye contact for the first time, for several minutes during the session. The skin conductance resistance of the other 7 patients (besides one, all strongly sedated) expressed a significant gain in sympathetic nervous system activity in response to the process oriented coma work approach. This dynamic mirrors an increase of chronological integration of processes in different compartments of neuronal activity which is a neurological correlate and presupposition of consciousness and a precursor of overt behavior.

Finally limitations, strengths, implications and recommendations for further research are discussed and personal experiences in this research are shared.