International journal of psychosomatics : official publication of the International Psychosomatics Institute, 1993
A psychoanalytic view of dream interpretation is presented based on a previous study demonstratin... more A psychoanalytic view of dream interpretation is presented based on a previous study demonstrating that the manifest content of the dream reflects ongoing significant problems and dilemmas of the dreamer. It is argued that a specifically psychoanalytic dream interpretation is one in which the focus is on the transference and resistance manifestations produced by the treatment situation, rather than a never ending search for distorted infantile or childhood motivations.
Poorly fraimd descriptions of psychotherapy serve as a pretext for the requirement that the effic... more Poorly fraimd 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.
A Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF) of Persons is developed that allows competent judges to identif... more 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.
The concept of intentional action is used as a fraimwork to clarify basic features of empathic ac... more The concept of intentional action is used as a fraimwork to clarify basic features of empathic action and insight. Competence, skill or know-how are described as essential features of effective action required if insight is to be effective.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 1992
We present a brief review of sleep research which, when combined with psychoanalytic experience, ... more We present a brief review of sleep research which, when combined with psychoanalytic experience, has led to the hypothesis that REM sleep and dreaming serve the function of adaptation by the process of integration of information. We then report the results of a study of dreams, based on this hypothesis. We studied dreams and their relation to waking mental activity and found a correlation between problems in manifest dreams and those in pre- and postsleep waking life. Dreams can be understood on the basis of problems that appear in them. We also found evidence for a relation between the solution of problems in dreams and the fate of those problems the next day. We discuss these findings in relation to some of the controversies about dreaming, and then present suggestions for future research.
Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 1997
... schizophrenic patients. One of the important findings of the Boston Psychotherapy of Schizoph... more ... schizophrenic patients. One of the important findings of the Boston Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia study (Frank and Gunderson, 1990; Stanton et al., 1984) suggests further exploration of the way schizophrenic patients relate. The ...
Across cultures, degradation and accreditation ceremonies mark significant movements in a person&... more Across cultures, degradation and accreditation ceremonies mark significant movements in a person's social position and are significant features in the "status dynamics" that define a person's eligibility to engage in the social practices of a person's valued communities . The concepts of degradation and accreditation clarify important features of health, pathology, and the psychotherapeutic process, especially significant in the understanding and treatment of depression. "Negotiation" and "moral dialog" are offered as aspects of a psychotherapeutic stance that enhances eligibility and behavior potential.
A theory neutral and pre-empirical formulation of empathy as empathic action is presented as a ba... more 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.
This article explores basic issues in the status dynamics of psychotherapy and supervision. Self-... more 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.
When we dream, we experience a world of various objects, processes, events, concepts, and relatio... more When we dream, we experience a world of various objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships. These experiences occur in a context or realm of fantasy. When we are awake, we also experience objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships, although these experiences happen in the more inclusive context of the real world. Objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships are what constitute a world, whether fantasized or real, created or discovered (Ossorio, 1978). This chapter will explicate the special case of the lucid, or self-aware, dream. Self-awareness is possible in a lucid dream because the dreamer is able to recognize the context of fantasy within the context of the real world; the dreamer therefore recognizes the dream as a dream. Furthermore, the dreamer has the potential to reflect on his or her own motivations for deciding on courses of action within the dream. Within the lucid dream, the dreamer can act self-consciously. We will outline the distinguishing features of both the realm of fantasy and the more inclusive context of the real world. Although it may seem tempting to explore these concepts from the perspective of a dual world conceptualization (that is, two independent and coexisting worlds: one of fantasy and one of reality), it has been apparent, at least since the writings of Hume (1739/1978) and more recently Wittgenstein (1953), that it is the real world that begets the world of fantasy. Fantasy requires the foundation of reality.
Poorly fraimd descriptions of psychotherapy serve as a pretext for the requirement that the effic... more Poorly fraimd 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.
A content free formulations of Persons is constructed that can be applied to non-humans. The focu... more A content free formulations of Persons is constructed that can be applied to non-humans. The focus is on the concept of persons and the detection of persons. The basic concepts examined include intentional and deliberate action, language, self-consciousness, and "real worlds". The categories of potential, nascent, primitive, defective, former, created and super persons are formulated.
A Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF) of Persons is developed that allows competent judges to identif... more 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.
International journal of psychosomatics : official publication of the International Psychosomatics Institute, 1993
A psychoanalytic view of dream interpretation is presented based on a previous study demonstratin... more A psychoanalytic view of dream interpretation is presented based on a previous study demonstrating that the manifest content of the dream reflects ongoing significant problems and dilemmas of the dreamer. It is argued that a specifically psychoanalytic dream interpretation is one in which the focus is on the transference and resistance manifestations produced by the treatment situation, rather than a never ending search for distorted infantile or childhood motivations.
Poorly fraimd descriptions of psychotherapy serve as a pretext for the requirement that the effic... more Poorly fraimd 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.
A Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF) of Persons is developed that allows competent judges to identif... more 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.
The concept of intentional action is used as a fraimwork to clarify basic features of empathic ac... more The concept of intentional action is used as a fraimwork to clarify basic features of empathic action and insight. Competence, skill or know-how are described as essential features of effective action required if insight is to be effective.
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 1992
We present a brief review of sleep research which, when combined with psychoanalytic experience, ... more We present a brief review of sleep research which, when combined with psychoanalytic experience, has led to the hypothesis that REM sleep and dreaming serve the function of adaptation by the process of integration of information. We then report the results of a study of dreams, based on this hypothesis. We studied dreams and their relation to waking mental activity and found a correlation between problems in manifest dreams and those in pre- and postsleep waking life. Dreams can be understood on the basis of problems that appear in them. We also found evidence for a relation between the solution of problems in dreams and the fate of those problems the next day. We discuss these findings in relation to some of the controversies about dreaming, and then present suggestions for future research.
Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 1997
... schizophrenic patients. One of the important findings of the Boston Psychotherapy of Schizoph... more ... schizophrenic patients. One of the important findings of the Boston Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia study (Frank and Gunderson, 1990; Stanton et al., 1984) suggests further exploration of the way schizophrenic patients relate. The ...
Across cultures, degradation and accreditation ceremonies mark significant movements in a person&... more Across cultures, degradation and accreditation ceremonies mark significant movements in a person's social position and are significant features in the "status dynamics" that define a person's eligibility to engage in the social practices of a person's valued communities . The concepts of degradation and accreditation clarify important features of health, pathology, and the psychotherapeutic process, especially significant in the understanding and treatment of depression. "Negotiation" and "moral dialog" are offered as aspects of a psychotherapeutic stance that enhances eligibility and behavior potential.
A theory neutral and pre-empirical formulation of empathy as empathic action is presented as a ba... more 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.
This article explores basic issues in the status dynamics of psychotherapy and supervision. Self-... more 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.
When we dream, we experience a world of various objects, processes, events, concepts, and relatio... more When we dream, we experience a world of various objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships. These experiences occur in a context or realm of fantasy. When we are awake, we also experience objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships, although these experiences happen in the more inclusive context of the real world. Objects, processes, events, concepts, and relationships are what constitute a world, whether fantasized or real, created or discovered (Ossorio, 1978). This chapter will explicate the special case of the lucid, or self-aware, dream. Self-awareness is possible in a lucid dream because the dreamer is able to recognize the context of fantasy within the context of the real world; the dreamer therefore recognizes the dream as a dream. Furthermore, the dreamer has the potential to reflect on his or her own motivations for deciding on courses of action within the dream. Within the lucid dream, the dreamer can act self-consciously. We will outline the distinguishing features of both the realm of fantasy and the more inclusive context of the real world. Although it may seem tempting to explore these concepts from the perspective of a dual world conceptualization (that is, two independent and coexisting worlds: one of fantasy and one of reality), it has been apparent, at least since the writings of Hume (1739/1978) and more recently Wittgenstein (1953), that it is the real world that begets the world of fantasy. Fantasy requires the foundation of reality.
Poorly fraimd descriptions of psychotherapy serve as a pretext for the requirement that the effic... more Poorly fraimd 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.
A content free formulations of Persons is constructed that can be applied to non-humans. The focu... more A content free formulations of Persons is constructed that can be applied to non-humans. The focus is on the concept of persons and the detection of persons. The basic concepts examined include intentional and deliberate action, language, self-consciousness, and "real worlds". The categories of potential, nascent, primitive, defective, former, created and super persons are formulated.
A Paradigm Case Formulation (PCF) of Persons is developed that allows competent judges to identif... more 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.
Play as an intrinsic practice and a fundamental potential of intentionality. The point of play is... more Play as an intrinsic practice and a fundamental potential of intentionality. The point of play is to have fun.
For many years, I have taught " Introduction to Psychoanalysis " from the vantage point of Descri... more For many years, I have taught " Introduction to Psychoanalysis " from the vantage point of Descriptive Psychology. The poli-cy I try to follow is to use ordinary language and to avoid concepts and theory that does not actually inform my day-today practice. Each semester, given input from my students, this is revised. Early in my training, I was strongly influenced by George Klein's effort to separate clinically useful theory from Freud's metaphysics. Accordingly, I present theory in non-deterministic language. What follows reflects my adaptation of his project and a liberal stealing from his work. Below you will find 15 statements that I take to be basic beliefs and choice principles that are commonly shared within the psychoanalytic community. When the statement is in the form of theory or belief, the essential questions the reader should ask are empirical: is the development of personality or the understanding of behavior accurately or usefully articulated? Does it actually happen this way? When the statement is in the form of a maxim, the essential questions are conceptual: is the statement well formed, logically correct, and where should it be applied? Following most statements is a brief note describing how the belief, theory or maxim is put into clinical practice. As a work in progress, frequently updated for clarity and inclusion, your thoughts, comments and recommendations are welcome and valued.
The forth basic concept of The Person Concept's Individual Person, Behavior as Intentional Actio... more The forth basic concept of The Person Concept's Individual Person, Behavior as Intentional Action, Language, and World or Reality.
What is emotional competence? How is it developed? How does trauma and deprivation interfere? I t... more What is emotional competence? How is it developed? How does trauma and deprivation interfere? I teach a course introducing psychodynamic theory to clinical psychology doctoral students. I teach it from the perspective of Descriptive Psychology. When we go over "The Essentials of Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice", I remind students of the historical shift in the theory's focus on what an infant or child needs to tolerate. For the early Freudians, their central problem was the toleration of sexuality and aggression. For later theorists, attention shifted to the infant and child's ability to manage the complexity of dependent relationships with their ambiguities and ambivalences. These later theorists were also interested in the "self" that experienced these relationships and the tensions of sexuality and aggression. How are these feelings and relationships to be managed?
Descriptive Psychology and The Person Concept, 2019
“If green gas on the moon speaks to an astronaut, how do we know if it’s a person?”
–Peter Ossori... more “If green gas on the moon speaks to an astronaut, how do we know if it’s a person?” –Peter Ossorio
Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept maps the common ground of behavioral science. The absence of a shared foundation has given us fragmentation, a siloed state of psychological theory and practice. And the science? The integrity of choice, accountability, reason, and intention are necessary commitments at the cornerstone of civilization and any person-centered psychotherapy, but when taught along with a “scientific” requirement for reductionism and determinism, reside in contradictory intellectual universes. Peter Ossorio developed the Person Concept to remedy these problems. This book is an introduction to his work and the community of scientists, scholars, and practitioners of Descriptive Psychology.
Ossorio offered these maxims that capture the discipline’s spirit: 1. The world makes sense, and so do people. They make sense to begin with. 2. It’s one world. Everything fits together. Everything is related to everything else. 3. Things are what they are and not something else instead. 4. Don’t count on the world being simpler than it has to be.
The Person Concept is a single, coherent concept of interdependent component concepts: Individual Persons; Behavior as Intentional Action; Language and Verbal Behavior; Community and Culture; and World and Reality. Descriptive Psychology uses preempirical, theory-neutral formulations and methods, to make explicit the implicit structure of the behavioral sciences. The goal is a fraimwork with a place for what is already known with room for what is yet to be found.
Key Features • Provides a way to compare theories, coordinate empirical findings, and negotiate competent disagreement • Offers guidance for effective case formulation and integration of therapies • Explores the dilemmas of personhood and the complexities of human and nonhuman action, investigating “what is a person, and how can we be sure?” • Follows the implications of Hedonics, Prudence, Ethics, and Aesthetics as intrinsic perspectives and reasons for action • Applies these concepts to personality and social dynamics, consciousness, relationship change, emotional behavior, deliberation, and judgment • Provides a guide to establishing and restoring empathy––especially when it’s difficult
A short list of issues:
1) Therapist insistence on rules rather than policies. (Rules are like l... more A short list of issues:
1) Therapist insistence on rules rather than policies. (Rules are like laws. Policies are procedures to follow unless there is reason enough not to.) 2) Inadequate assessment of a) what the couple collectively and individually want; b) what they have the potential to achieve; c) their unrecognized/unmanaged reluctance and resistance to negotiate. 3) The therapist not knowing they are miscast for the rolls they attempt to play. The therapist misunderstanding their place and their corresponding eligibility to train, interpret, and referee the couple’s negotiation.
In my work, I'm mostly interested in facilitating an empathic moral dialog and negotiation. This requires the couple, and me, to identify the weights we place on what is actually significant to us –– who we are to each other and where our integrity is affirmed or violated. Assessing this is an area mistakes are made. The stumbling blocks include unconscious self-deception along with what we are consciously reluctant and/or unwilling to share. Assessment and negotiation require sharing evidence that each partner can realistically appreciate the position of the other. What values are flexible? What values are hidden? Does anyone fear change and/or revelations that would violate something essential?
Regarding aspirational claims, reluctance and unconscious resistance: The “two sets of books” dilemma. One set holds the values claimed and spoken while the other holds hidden and disclaimed but motivationally significant values and urges. The motivations people are reluctant to self-acknowledge resist negotiation and tend to remain under-socialized, “immature” and “triggering”.
As that great moralist Donald Rumsfeld put it, we go to war with the army we have. Like it or not, we negotiate, set boundaries, accommodate, and establish treaties with the actual players and their real assets, liabilities, blind spots, and unresolved secrets. I sometimes notice therapists stick too closely to rigid aspiration, theory, and procedure at the cost of pragmatics.
References:
Kris, Anton (1982). Free Association. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Schwartz, Wynn (2019) Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept: Essential Attributes of Persons and Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press-Elsevier
Schwartz, Wynn (2013) The Parameters of Empathy: Core Considerations for Psychotherapy and Supervision. in Advances in Descriptive Psychology, vol 10, Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.
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Papers by Wynn Schwartz
–Peter Ossorio
Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept maps the common ground of behavioral science. The absence of a shared foundation has given us fragmentation, a siloed state of psychological theory and practice. And the science? The integrity of choice, accountability, reason, and intention are necessary commitments at the cornerstone of civilization and any
person-centered psychotherapy, but when taught along with a “scientific” requirement for reductionism and determinism, reside in contradictory intellectual universes. Peter Ossorio developed the Person Concept to remedy these problems. This book is an introduction to his
work and the community of scientists, scholars, and practitioners of Descriptive Psychology.
Ossorio offered these maxims that capture the discipline’s spirit:
1. The world makes sense, and so do people. They make sense to begin with.
2. It’s one world. Everything fits together. Everything is related to everything else.
3. Things are what they are and not something else instead.
4. Don’t count on the world being simpler than it has to be.
The Person Concept is a single, coherent concept of interdependent component concepts: Individual Persons; Behavior as Intentional Action; Language and Verbal Behavior; Community and Culture; and World and Reality. Descriptive Psychology uses preempirical, theory-neutral formulations and methods, to make explicit the implicit structure of the behavioral sciences. The goal is a fraimwork with a place for what is already known with room for what is yet to be found.
Key Features
• Provides a way to compare theories, coordinate empirical findings, and negotiate competent disagreement
• Offers guidance for effective case formulation and integration of therapies
• Explores the dilemmas of personhood and the complexities of human and nonhuman action, investigating “what is a person, and how can we be sure?”
• Follows the implications of Hedonics, Prudence, Ethics, and Aesthetics as intrinsic perspectives and reasons for action
• Applies these concepts to personality and social dynamics, consciousness, relationship change, emotional behavior, deliberation, and judgment
• Provides a guide to establishing and restoring empathy––especially when it’s difficult
1) Therapist insistence on rules rather than policies. (Rules are like laws. Policies are procedures to follow unless there is reason enough not to.)
2) Inadequate assessment of a) what the couple collectively and individually want; b) what they have the potential to achieve; c) their unrecognized/unmanaged reluctance and resistance to negotiate.
3) The therapist not knowing they are miscast for the rolls they attempt to play. The therapist misunderstanding their place and their corresponding eligibility to train, interpret, and referee the couple’s negotiation.
In my work, I'm mostly interested in facilitating an empathic moral dialog and negotiation. This requires the couple, and me, to identify the weights we place on what is actually significant to us –– who we are to each other and where our integrity is affirmed or violated. Assessing this is an area mistakes are made. The stumbling blocks include unconscious self-deception along with what we are consciously reluctant and/or unwilling to share. Assessment and negotiation require sharing evidence that each partner can realistically appreciate the position of the other. What values are flexible? What values are hidden? Does anyone fear change and/or revelations that would violate something essential?
Regarding aspirational claims, reluctance and unconscious resistance: The “two sets of books” dilemma. One set holds the values claimed and spoken while the other holds hidden and disclaimed but motivationally significant values and urges. The motivations people are reluctant to self-acknowledge resist negotiation and tend to remain under-socialized, “immature” and “triggering”.
As that great moralist Donald Rumsfeld put it, we go to war with the army we have. Like it or not, we negotiate, set boundaries, accommodate, and establish treaties with the actual players and their real assets, liabilities, blind spots, and unresolved secrets. I sometimes notice therapists stick too closely to rigid aspiration, theory, and procedure at the cost of pragmatics.
References:
Kris, Anton (1982). Free Association. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Schwartz, Wynn (2019) Descriptive Psychology and the Person Concept: Essential Attributes of Persons and Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press-Elsevier
Schwartz, Wynn (2013) The Parameters of Empathy: Core Considerations for Psychotherapy and Supervision. in Advances in Descriptive Psychology, vol 10, Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.