A relação entre arte e vida em vigotski: uma análise conceitual / The relationship between art and life in vygotsky: a conceptual analysis / La relación entre arte y vida en vigotski: un análisis conceptual

Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a relação entre arte e vida segundo Vigotski. Para isso, foi realizada uma análise conceitual dos capítulos 1, 7, 9, 10 e 11 da Psicologia da Arte, do capítulo 13 da Psicologia Pedagógica e do texto O significado histórico da crise da Psicologia: Uma investigação metodológica. A pesquisa conceitual consiste na análise semântica dos principais conceitos de uma teoria com o intuito de elucidar seus sentidos ocultos ou confusos e desvendar possíveis contradições e ambiguidades no quadro teórico. Podemos observar que a arte é um fenômeno dialético tanto em sua criação como em seus efeitos. A influência da vida, isto é, da realidade sócio-histórica, na criação artística é indireta, pois ela é sempre mediada pelo psiquismo particular do artista. Já o efeito da arte sobre a vida possibilita que o ser humano se conscientize de sua realidade social e se engaje para mudá-la. A arte é, portanto, transformadora, pois reorganiza o psiquismo e possibilita uma mudança nas condições materiais dos seres humanos.(AU)

This study aims to analyze the relationship between art and life according to Vygotsky. Therefore, a conceptual analysis of chapters 1, 7, 9, 10, and 11 of Psychology of Art, chapter 13 of Educational Psychology and the text The Historical meaning of the Crisis of Psychology: A Methodological Investigation was carried out. Conceptual research consists of the semantic analysis of the main concepts of a theory to elucidate its hidden or confused meanings and to reveal possible contradictions and ambiguities in the theoretical framework. Results show that art is a dialectical phenomenon both in its creation and its effects. The influence of life, that is, of socio-historical reality, on artistic creation is indirect since it is always mediated by the artist's particular psyche. The effect of art on life, on the other hand, allows human beings to become aware of their social reality and engage to change it. Art is, therefore, transformative, as it reorganizes the psyche and enables a change in the material conditions of human beings.(AU)

Este proyecto tuve como objetivo analizar la relación entre el arte y la vida, según Vigotski. Para esto, fue realizado un análisis de los capítulos 1, 7, 9, 10 y 11 de Psicología del arte, del capítulo 13 de Psicología Pedagógica y del texto Él significado histórico de la crisis de la Psicología: una investigación metodológica. La pesquisa conceptual consiste en la analice semántica de los conceptos de una teoría, para aclarar sus significados ocultos o confusos y desvendar contradicciones y ambigüedades em el cuadro teórico. Pudimos observar que, el arte es un fenómeno dialéctico en su creación tanto como en sus efectos. La influencia de la vida, esto es, de la realidad socio-histórica, en la creación artística es indirecta, pues es mediada por el psiquismo particular de lo artista. Así, el efecto del arte sobre la vida habilita que lo ser humano adquiera conciencia de su realidad social y que se comprometa a cambiarla. El arte, consiguientemente, transformadora, pues reorganiza lo psiquismo y habilita un cambio en las condiciones materiales de los seres humanos.(AU)

Arte e catarse para Vigotski em Psicologia da Arte / Art and catharsis for Vigotski in Psychology of Art / Arte y catarsis para Vigotski en Psicología del Arte

Este artigo, de cunho teórico, pretende refletir sobre a concepção de arte apresentada pelo psicólogo russo Lev Semionovich Vigotski na obra Psicologia da Arte. O estudo destaca a importância da arte como mediação para a expressão e reelaboração emocional humana, por meio da reação estética expressa pela catarse na apreciação artística. A partir das contribuições de Vigotski, enfatiza-se o potencial criativo e transformador do homem sobre a obra de arte, propiciando a ressignificação humana em seu contexto cultural e histórico. Nesse sentido, ressalta-se o papel da arte e da vivência artística enquanto instrumentos essenciais à sociedade moderna para a reconexão com os aspectos sensíveis e subjetivos que integram a psique humana

This theoretical article intends to reflect on the conception of art presented by the Russian psychologist Lev Semionovich Vigotski in the work Psychology of Art. The study highlights the importance of art as mediation for human emotional expression and reprocessing, through the aesthetic reaction expressed by catharsis in artistic appreciation. From the contributions of Vygotsky, the creative and transformative potential of man on the work of art is emphasized, favoring human resignification in its cultural and historical context. In this sense, the role of art and artistic experience as essential instruments to modern society is emphasized for the reconnection with the sensitive and subjective aspects that integrate the human psyche

Este artículo, de cuño teórico, pretende reflexionar sobre la concepción de arte presentada por el psicólogo ruso Lev Semionovich Vigotski en la obra Psicología del Arte. El estudio destaca la importancia del arte como mediación para la expresión y reelaboración emocional humana, por medio de la reacción estética expresada por la catarsis en la apreciación artística. A partir de las contribuciones de Vigotski, se enfatiza el potencial creativo y transformador del hombre sobre la obra de arte, propiciando la resignificación humana en su contexto cultural e histórico. En ese sentido, se resalta el papel del arte y de la vivencia artística como instrumentos esenciales a la sociedad moderna para la reconexión con los aspectos sensibles y subjetivos que integran la psique humana

A transferência como meio de tratamento do outro e recurso de contenção à passagem ao ato na psicose / The transference as a way to treat the other and means of holding back the passage to the act in psychosis / La transferencia como medio de tratamiento del otro y como recurso de contención del pasaje al acto en la psicosis

Este artigo se propõe a investigar, com base no estudo de um caso clínico, de que modo a manobra da transferência na psicose nos permite apostar em sua eficácia como meio de tratamento do Outro e recurso de contenção à passagem ao ato nessa estrutura. Orientados pela leitura lacaniana, constatamos que, na psicose, o simbólico não opera na negativação do gozo, o que faz com que este retorne sobre o psicótico de forma maciça na figura de um Outro ameaçador. Consequentemente, a passagem ao ato nessa estrutura se configura como uma tentativa de extrair o excesso de gozo no campo do Outro. Diante dessa observação, a manobra da transferência seguiu como orientação o tratamento do Outro para fazer barreira ao transbordamento da pulsão, ou seja, uma modalidade de trabalho que buscou regular o gozo do Outro mediante estratégias criadas pelo que se mostrou possível na particularidade do caso.

The aim of this article is to investigate, based on a clinical case, the way the transference maneuver in psychosis allows us to rely on its efficacy as a way to treat the Other and means to hold back the passage to the act in this structure. Oriented by the reading of Lacan’s writing, we determined that in psychosis the symbolic does not operate in the negativity of the pleasure, which makes it returns over the psychotic subject in a fierce way as a frightening figure of the Other. Consequently, the passage to the act in this structure is pictured as an attempt to withdraw the excess of enjoyment from the Other’s field. In face of this observation, the transference maneuver took as guideline the treatment of the Other to block the overflow of the pulsion; in other words, a work modality that meant to regulate the enjoyment of the Other through strategies created by what was possible in this case.

Este artículo propone investigar, a partir del estudio de un caso clínico, de qué manera la transferencia en la psicosis nos permite apostar en su eficacia como medio de tratamiento del Otro, y como recurso de contención de pasar al acto en esa estructura. Guiados por la lectura Lacaniana, vimos que en la psicosis lo simbólico no opera en la negativización del goce, lo que hace que este vuelva sobre el psicótico de forma masiva en la figura de un Otro amenazador. Consecuentemente, el pasaje al acto en esa estructura se configura como una tentativa de extraer el exceso de goce en el campo del Otro. Frente a esa observación, la maniobra de transferencia continuó como orientación en el tratamiento del Otro para levantar una barrera en el transbordo de la pulsión, o sea, una modalidad de trabajo que buscó regular el goce del Otro a través de las estrategias creadas, como fue posible observar en la particularidad del caso.

Medical performance and the 'inaccessible' experience of illness: an exploratory study.

We report a survey of audience members' responses (147 questionnaires collected at seven performances) and 10 in-depth interviews (five former patients and two family members, three medical practitioners) to bloodlines, a medical performance exploring the experience of haematopoietic stem-cell transplant as treatment for acute leukaemia. Performances took place in 2014 and 2015. The article argues that performances that are created through interdisciplinary collaboration can convey otherwise 'inaccessible' illness experiences in ways that audience members with personal experience recognise as familiar, and find emotionally affecting. In particular such performances are adept at interweaving 'objectivist' (objective, medical) and 'subjectivist' (subjective, emotional) perspectives of the illness experience, and indeed, at challenging such distinctions. We suggest that reflecting familiar yet hard-to-articulate experiences may be beneficial for the ongoing emotional recovery of people who have survived serious disease, particularly in relation to the isolation that they experience during and as a consequence of their treatment.

Práxis política no MST: uma leitura a partir de Vigotski e Gramsci / Political praxis in MST: contributions from Vigotski and Gramsci / Praxis política en el MST: contribuciones de Vigotski y Gramsci

O artigo¹ objetiva contribuir com o campo de estudos da participação política desde uma perspectiva materialista dialética, mais especificamente, tendo como referência a psicologia vigotskiana e o pensamento gramsciano. As categorias para o desenvolvimento da proposta são: práxis política, drama e catarse. O texto baseia‑se em uma pesquisa de mestrado realizada no Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) de Ribeirão Preto (SP). Dialoga com a construção teórica o corpus empírico produzido a partir de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas com quatro militantes do movimento. A análise do corpus aponta para o entendimento da práxis política como uma forma específica de participação política, um processo complexo que articula diferentes esferas sociais e subjetivas. O envolvimento com o movimento social é interpretado como um processo de catarse, no qual ocorre uma reorganização do drama subjetivo dos sujeitos, em seus aspectos cognitivos, afetivos e volitivos.

The article aims to contribute to the political participation field of study from a materialist dialectical perspective, more specifically, with reference to the Vigotskian psychology and the Gramscian thought. The categories for the development of the proposal are: political praxis, drama and catharsis. The text is based on a research conducted with the “Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra” (MST) in Ribeirão Preto (SP). The theoretical construct dialogues with the empirical corpus created from semi­structured individual interviews with four (4) militants of the social movement. The corpus analysis argues that the political praxis is understood as a specific form of political participation, a complex process that articulates different social and subjective dimensions. The involvement with the social movement is interpreted as a cathartic process in which there is a reorganization of the subjective drama of the subjects, in their cognitive, affective and volitional aspects.

El artículo tiene como objetivo contribuir al campo de estudio de la participación política desde una perspectiva materialista dialéctica, más concretamente, sobre la base de la psicología de Vigotski y el pensamiento gramsciano. Las categorías para el desarrollo de la propuesta son: la praxis política, el drama y la catarsis. El texto se basa en una investigación realizada con el “Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra” (MST) in Ribeirão Preto (SP). Los constructos teóricos dialogan con el corpus empírico creado a partir de entrevistas semiestructuradas individuales con cuatro (4) militantes del movimiento social. El análisis de corpus sostiene la práxis política como una forma específica de participación política, un proceso complejo que articula diferentes dimensiones sociales y subjetivas. La participación en el movimiento social se interpreta como un proceso catártico en el que hay una reorganización del drama subjetiva de los sujetos, en sus aspectos cognitivos, afectivos y volitivos.

[Therapeutic effects of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with QingyiII catharsis in treatment of oral paraquat poisoning in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effects of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with Qingyi II catharsis in treatment of oral paraquat poisoning in rabbits. METHODS: Thirty healthy adult Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: namely control group, model group, gastric lavage group (lavage of 10% fuller earth suspension), catharsis group (Qingyi II catharsis), and combination group (10 minutes after gastric lavage of fuller earth suspension liquid, giving Qingyi II for catharsis), with 6 rabbits in each group. All groups were challenged with paraquat (100 mg/kg) diluted to 5 mL with normal saline by lavage to reproduce the model of acute poisoning, while the control group was given 5 mL of normal saline instead. Each treatment group was treated accordingly at 1 hour after gavages of paraquat, and treatment continued for 3 days. The animal survival rate was observed. Venous blood samples were collected from ear marginal vein to determine the plasma concentration of paraquat by ultraviolet spectrophotometer at 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours after the poisoning. The animals were sacrificed by intravenous air injection on the 8th day after the poisoning, and the right lower lobe of lung was harvested to observe the lung tissue pathological changes with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. RESULTS: (1) Survival rate: the surviving rate of the combination group (6 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (5 rabbits), catharsis group (2 rabbits) and model group (0 rabbit) on the 2nd day with statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The survival rate on the 7th day in combination group (5 rabbits) was higher than that of gastric lavage group (3 rabbits), and catharsis group (0 rabbit ) with statistically significant difference (P = 0.003). (2) Plasma concentrations of paraquat: plasma paraquat concentration in all groups peaked at 2 hours after intoxication, and its levels in the gastric lavage, catharsis and combination groups were significantly lower than that of the model group ( mg/L: 1.830 ± 0.068, 1.890 ± 0.048, 1.800 ± 0.052 vs. 1.960 ± 0.063, all P < 0.01). As the time prolonged, the plasma concentration of paraquat was lowest in combination group than that of gastric lavage group and catharsis group (all P < 0.01). Gastric lavage and catharsis had interaction at 4 hours in combination group [F = 5.194, P = 0.034; the concentrations of paraquat (mg/L) was 0.670 ± 0.057 vs. 1.010 ± 0.018, 1.210 ± 0.052]. (3) Lung histopathology: obvious expansion and hyperemia of the alveolar capillary, widened alveolar septum, a large number of inflammatory cell infiltrations were observed in model group and catharsis group. Lung histopathology was more improved in combination group and gastric lavage group, and it was improved more obviously in combination group than that in gastric lavage group. CONCLUSIONS: Early start of gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with Qingyi II catharsis, can reduce the animal plasma concentrations of paraquat in oral paraquat poisoning rabbits. At the same time, it can alleviate the degree of lung injury and significantly improve survival rates compared with the single gastric lavage or catharsis alone. Gastric lavage with fuller earth combined with Qingyi II catharsis can improve the prognosis of animal synergistically.

As representações sociais de violência dos usuários de jogos eletrônicos / The social representations of violence by electronic games users

O presente estudo teve como objetivo geral investigar as representações sociais em relação à violência contida nos jogos eletrônicos e, especificamente, verificar se os participantes estabelecem conexões entre a violência contida nos jogos eletrônicos e comportamentos violentos. Foi utilizada a teoria das representações sociais como alicerce teórico, a qual aponta a forma em que os sujeitos de um determinado grupo constituem teorias do senso comum, as quais são construídas e compartilhadas socialmente, permitindo justificar ações e posicionamentos diante de objetos de interesse coletivo. Foram entrevistados vinte usuários de jogos eletrônicos, maiores de idade, sendo dezenove do sexo masculino. Foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo do tipo categorial-temática de Bardin. Os resultados das categorias e subcategorias apontaram para temas como a diversão, aprendizagem do idioma inglês e catarse. A violência, elemento camuflado na fala dos usuários, não foi considerada uma influência na prática dos jogadores, revelando contradições nos discursos.

The following study had as its general objective the investigation of social representations in accordance to the violence contained in electronic games and, specifically, to verify if the participants establish links between the violence contained in electronic games and violent behavior. The social representations theory as a theoretical basis was used, which shows the way in which individuals of a particular group constitute theories as common sense, which are socially constructed and shared, allowing one to justify actions and positions before objects of collective interest. Twenty users of electronic games, of legal age, nineteen being of male sex, were interviewed. The Bardin thematic-categorical type analyses of content was used. The results of the categories and subcategories indicated themes such as entertainment, learning the English language and catharsis. Violence, a concealed element in the speech of users, was not considered as an influence on the players, thus revealing contradictions in discour

Freud, Breuer y aristóteles: catarsis y el descubrimiento del edipo / Freud, Breuer and aristotle: catharsis and the discovery of oedipus

Psychoanalysis was originated from the cathartic method first practiced by Breuer and then by Freud. There are no hard data that can explain why Freud took so long in using it and why he associated it regularly with hypnosis rather than apply as the exclusive psychotherapeutic tool. It is argued that its creation was closely related to the concept of catharsis, as Aristotle understood it, that is to say, as the emotions that the audience discharge when attend a tragedy. The friendship and partnership between Breuer and Freud ended in a bitter breakup, delaying Freud's intellectual development. It is postulated that the breakdown was the result of an unresolved Oedipus complex of Freud in relation to an ambivalent father figure: a persecutory, tyrannical, angry one, that represented Breuer, and a good, sublimated, idealized one, that personified Freud's close friend Wilhelm FlieB.

El psicoanálisis nació a partir del método catártico practicado primero por Breuer y luego por Freud. No se tienen datos para saber porqué Freud demoró tanto tiempo en utilizarlo y también se desconoce porqué lo asoció regularmente a la hipnosis en lugar de aplicarlo como psicoterapia única. Se plantea que su creación estuvo estrechamente vinculada al concepto de catarsis desarrollada por Aristóteles, es decir, la descarga de emociones que los espectadores experimentan cuando acuden a presenciar una tragedia. La amistad y el trabajo conjunto entre Breuer y Freud terminaron en una áspera ruptura, la que retrasó el desarrollo intelectual de Freud. Se postula que el quiebre fue producto de un complejo de Edipo no resuelto de Freud en relación a una figura de padre escindida entre un objeto interno persecutorio, tiránico, rabioso que proyectó en Breuer, y otro bueno, sublimado, idealizado que desplazó en la persona de su amigo íntimo Wilhelm FlieB.

Psicanálise e estética da recepção: desacordos e entrecruzamentos / Psychoanalysis and Aesthetics Reception: disagreements and crosslinkings

Este trabalho visa discutir entrecruzamentos e dessemelhanças entre a teoria da recepção estética da escola de Jauss, Iser e colaboradores, e a psicanálise freudiana. Os teóricos da recepção estética leram Freud, o que não significa dizer que compreenderam suas posições com relação à leitura da obra de arte. Assim, o ensaio almeja sistematizar algumas das vicissitudes desta relação...

This paper aims to discuss certain intersections and discrepancies between the theories of aesthetic reception, as we can see in Jauss and Iser writings, and Freudian psychoanalysis. As we know, the theorists of the aesthetic reception read Freud, but that doesn't mean that the authors have well understood their positions related to the reading action of the artwork. Thus, this work intends to describe some of this relationship features...

Good grief: bereavement literature for young adults and A Monster Calls.

Recent years have seen a proliferation of critically acclaimed novels for young adults dealing with bereavement. This is part of a 'bereavement turn'--a contemporary cultural movement to examine publicly our attitudes to death and grieving. This paper examines the narrative strategies in Patrick Ness's award-winning novel A Monster Calls to look at the ways in which the psychic burden of the impending loss of a parent through cancer is managed. The book draws on conventions of children's literature to create a sense of familiarity that helps to balance the emotional stress of the story. The Kübler-Ross stages of grief serve as a heuristic that helps the story deliver catharsis in spite of its inevitably traumatic subject matter. A Monster Calls is an important addition to the canon of fictional pathography.

A bela morte / The beautiful death

É com uma realidade encoberta, com o pudor e com a vergonha que se articula a visão do corpo do morto; a problemática do fantasma ligado ao morto. Se a sexualidade parece-nos, atualmente, menos velada do que na época clássica, a morte, por sua vez, tornou-se tabu e deslocou-se para a esfera privada, para o território da intimidade psicológica, o que Phillipe Ariès denomina a morte tornada selvagem. Na descrição que Flaubert faz do falecimento de Ema, em Madame Bovary, as imagens da morte e da decomposição do corpo morto mantêm vivas uma iconografia recalcada, aureolada. O processo de censura contra o livro é emblemático da repressão da sociedade sobre a representação da morte.

It is in the hidden visibility, in the modesty and in the shame that the issue of viewing the body of the dead takes shape, going towards the phantasmal aspect (aspect of fantasy) linked to the dead. If sexuality seems less veiled as compared to the classical era, death in itself has become a taboo and withdraws itself into the private sphere, into a psychological intimacy, what Ariès calls the barbarization of death. Concerning Flaubert, writing about the death of Emma Bovary, the imagery of the body's decomposition and of death creates a repressed, halo-ed imagery. The censor process against Madame Bovary is, in this respect, symbolic of society's repression of the representation of death.

Sobre o legado de Breuer e Anna O / On the legacy of Breuer and Anna O

Este artigo parte da investigação do laço de trabalho entre Freud e Breuer em torno do caso de Anna O. para se perguntar sobre o legado de Breuer, que situamos em duas modalidades: uma vertente técnica, representada pelos procedimentos do método catártico; outra, dos resultados, caracterizada pelo produto da aplicação dessa técnica. A respeito dos resultados, destacamos o interesse maior de Freud por indicações fragmentadas e laterais que emergem do relato de Breuer do que por sua teorização. Nessa transmissão, equívocos, lacunas e lapsos são de extrema importância. Freud, ao seu turno, não só foi capaz de escutar essas indicações, como também de acolhê-las e elaborá-las a partir de sua práxis.

This paper investigates the association between Breuer and Freud around the treatment of Anna O. We situate Breuer's legacy in two modalities: a technical modality, represented by the cathartic method's procedures, and a result's modality, characterized by the product of the application of this technique. Regarding the results, we underline a more intensive interest of Freud for fragmented and lateral indications that emerge from Breuer's text rather than for Breuer's theorization itself. In this transmission, mistakes, gaps and lapses are extremely important. Freud, for his part, was not only able to hear these statements, but also to accept them and elaborate them in his practice.

Aplicaciones del psicodrama en la psicoterapia actual / Applications of psychodrama on today's psychotherapy

Introducción: El psicodrama en el pasado tuvo buena acogida entre psicoterapeutas y psiquiatras clínicos, pero su uso se ha restringido, debido en parte a conceptos erróneos que los mismos clínicos tienen sobre éste (“es costoso”, “exige mucho tiempo y recursos”, “requiere un teatro para realizarse”, “no es útil en personas con trastornos psicóticos”, etc.). Objetivo: Mostrar que el psicodrama es válido, aplicable y útil en un amplio rango de situaciones clínicas, con base en la literatura existente acerca de psicodrama y sus usos clínicos, así como en una serie de casos en los que se han usado con éxito técnicas psicodramáticas en el contexto de un proceso psicoterapéutico. Métodos: Búsqueda en Pubmed de artículos relacionados con el tema, además de una revisión narrativa de textos de psicoterapia con énfasis en psicoterapia psicodramática, técnica psicoterapéutica y catarsis. Resultados: Este artículo es una revisión de las técnicas psicodramáticas y su utilidad en psicoterapia y una presentación de casos clínicos reales en los que dichas técnicas han contribuido al bienestar de los pacientes y al desarrollo del proceso psicoterapéutico. Conclusiones: El psicodrama y sus técnicas están vigentes y son útiles en varios contextos clínicos y psicoterapéuticos.

Introduction: In the past years, Psychodrama was widely accepted by psychotherapists and psychiatrists. But its use has been restricted, partly because misconceptions that they have of it (“It’s expensive”, “it takes time and resources”, “it requires a theater to be done”, “it isn’t useful in people with psychotic disorders”, etc.). Aim: Based on existing literature about psychodrama and its clinical applications, as well as a number of cases in which psychodrama techniques have been successfully used in the context of a psychotherapeutic process, the aim of this study is to show that psychodrama is a valid, applicable and useful technique in a wide range of clinical situations. Methods: Articles in connection with the study were sought in PubMed, as well as a narrative review of psychotherapy texts emphasizing psychodramatic psychotherapy, psychotherapeutic techniques and catharsis. Results: This article is a review of psychodramatic techniques and how useful they may be in psychotherapy, together with a presentation of actual clinical cases in which such techniques have contributed to the patients’ wellbeing and the development of the psychotherapeutic process. Conclusions: Psychodrama and its techniques are valid and useful tools in various clinical and psychotherapeutic contexts.

Psychotherapy 2.0: MySpace blogging as self-therapy.

A survey conducted by America Online (AOL) in 2005 reported the startling finding that almost 50% of those posting entries on internet logs (weblogs or blogs), use them as a form of self-therapy. This finding went relatively unnoticed by psychotherapists and other mental health professionals. Given the rather significant global population of bloggers (those who post internet journal entries) and readers, and the seemingly intractable problem of mental illness worldwide (according to the World Health Organisation, the global burden of mental illness accounts for more than the burden of all cancers put together), the possibility of blogging as self-therapy deserves greater attention. Research investigating the health possibilities of blogs holds particular promise, at least for those disposed to writing and those working with patients who write. This paper addresses the question of how one might blog within a social network as a form of self-therapy. Based on an interview conducted with a blogger in May 2007, we construct a portrait of an individual who uses a blog as self-therapy.

Development of a cathartic-free colorectal cancer screening test using virtual colonoscopy: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to develop a method to subtract barium-labeled stool from the colon using a phantom and to evaluate the performance of the technique in a pilot human population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phantom containing 6-mm flat polyps and three types of simulated stool (homogeneous, moderately heterogeneous, and severely heterogeneous) mixed with barium was created, scanned, and tested using three stool subtraction algorithms but no cathartic. Thirty patients with suspected colorectal polyps were studied using stool tagging to determine which was the most effective stool subtraction algorithm. Colonoscopy was the reference standard. Examinations were evaluated blindly using the unsubtracted and 6 weeks later both the unsubtracted and subtracted data sets. RESULTS: A threshold of 200 H and expansion and convolution techniques were the most effective tools for subtracting stool and minimizing artifacts. When applied to the human population, sensitivities using the unsubtracted data sets were 90% (18/20) and 68% (26/38) for polyps > or = 1 cm and > or = 5 mm, respectively. Specificities were 100% (4/4) and 75% (3/4) for polyps > or = 1 cm and > or = 5 mm. For the stool-subtracted data sets, sensitivities were 90% (18/20) and 71% (27/38) for polyps > or = 1 cm and > or = 5 mm. Per patient sensitivities were 88% (15/17) and 77% (20/26) for > or = 1 cm and > or = 5 mm polyps. Specificities were 100% (4/4) for large polyps and 25% (1/4) for smaller polyps. CONCLUSION: Image processing tools combining thresholding, expansion, and convolution were the most useful for stool subtraction. Laxative-free colon examinations using barium for stool labeling can be performed at CT colonography with or without stool subtraction with high accuracy. Further study is warranted.

Catharsis and moral therapy I: a Platonic account.

This paper aims at analysing the ancient Greek notions of catharsis (clearing up, cleaning), to holon (the whole) and therapeia (therapy, treatment, healing) to assess whether they may be of help in addressing a set of questions concerning the didactics of medical ethics: What do medical students actually experience and learn when they attend classes of medical ethics? How should teachers of medical ethics proceed didactically to make students benefit morally from their teaching? And finally, to what extent and in what forms and formats can the kind of cathartic treatment envisaged by Plato still be considered a necessary preliminary to moral learning? The three questions will be addressed by means of a reconstructive analysis and assessment of the Platonic notions of catharsis and holistic therapy present in the Charmides and the Sophist. Besides, the didactic potential of Plato's dialogue form and moral regimen will be tried out. The ultimate aim is to investigate the possibilities of developing a therapeutic conception of medical ethics.

A identificação com a personagem no role-playing game / Identification with the character in the role-playing game

O trabalho apresenta uma leitura psicanalítica dos processos identificatórios no jogo de interpretação de papéis (role-playing game). Pela vivência de imersão no ambiente estudado, as autoras buscaram uma proximidade com o tema em estudo. Os depoimentos recolhidos junto a participantes desse jogo conduziram a uma delimitação do conceito de identificação com a personagem como o fio condutor para a análise dos dados da pesquisa. Os resultados mostram que o fascínio exercido pelo jogo de interpretação de papéis está relacionado a dois aspectos: o efeito catártico sobre as emoções e a possibilidade de ser outra pessoa durante o tempo de duração do jogo