Thinking about the past to shape the present: neural activation during the recall of relationship episodes.

Reflecting on oneself and others in relationships is an ability that is central to our social existence. Specifically, considering formative autobiographical experiences in relationships may contribute to more flexibility in perceiving, as well as in shaping present relationships. Reflecting on such experiences mobilizes different social cognitive and affective processes. We aim to explore the neural basis of these processes. With a newly developed functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) task, we investigated brain activation in 35 healthy individuals during recall of relationship episodes involving themselves or others. We found that recalling formative episodes involving themselves modulated brain activity in the right parahippocampus, left precuneus, bilateral fusiform gyrus, bilateral insula, and left presupplementary motor area. These areas are involved in memory processes, self-generated thought, and affective experience. The recall of relationship episodes involving others led to similar activation patterns. Our results underscore the close link between self-reflection, understanding others, and memory processes and emphasize the role of affective dimensions for self-relevant experiences. They contribute to a growing body of research on neural mechanisms involved in complex social cognitive processes decisive for our capacity to navigate our social environment.

[Power, status and valency in relationship to affective psychoses, schizoaffective and neurotic depression of patients]. / Macht, Status und Valenz in den Partnerschaften affektpsychotischer, schizoaffektiver und depressiv neurotischer Patienten.

The interrelationships of patients with affective psychoses and depressive neuroses were analysed by means of the Giessentest. They were categorised using Beckmanns approach to power, status and valency. The different frequency of these scores in the depressive subgroups underlined the interactional dimension of depression and the influence of gender variables as well. In particular neurotic depressive male patients tended to have asymmetric structures of relationships. The couple relationships of female patients suffering from depression or physical illness were characterised by a negative valency in the self-concept and a positive valency in the self as perceived by others.