[Nonverbal communications and psychotherapy]. / Communications non-verbales et psychothérapie.

The authors review the research on non-verbal communications in therapy; they distinguish between psychoanalytic, psychiatric, phenomenological and ecosystemic approaches and compare their respective methodologies. They show that the structural approach is the most advanced as far as systematic description of non-verbal behavior is concerned and therefore is presently the most promising for the inference of the therapeutic process.

["Les liaisons dangereuses": reflections on the optimal psychic ties for mental development]. / "Les liaisons dangereuses": réflexion sur le rôle des liens dans la mentalisation.

The activity of linking (i.e. the forming and maintaining of psychic ties), essential for mental functioning, is reviewed with reference to three major psychological trends and their contribution to the understanding of thinking: the cognitivist approach based on Piaget's theory; the studies of early interactions; and the psychoanalytical perspective. The case of a ten year old boy with severe learning difficulties is presented to illustrate certain problems in the coordination process which a specialist can elucidate through psychological assessment. Finally, we discuss the reasons for such dysfunctioning as well as the conditions that favour linking activity.

[Contradiction, incitement or hindrance to the development of knowledge]. / La contradiction, moteur ou frein du développement des connaissances.

Based on sequences of psychological examinations and the analysis of mental functioning of school children with learning difficulties, the authors propose a discussion around the concept of contradiction, such as envisaged by Piaget as having a fundamental role in the process of access to knowledge. The manner in which the dysfunction is manifested leads them to define different forms of reactions to the contradiction which compromises more or less seriously the development of knowledge. Finally, faced by the quasi existential confrontation which the contradiction represents for these children, they weigh the extent of its consequences on thought mechanisms.

[Communication in functional and dysfunctional families with adolescent children. II. Nonverbal communication]. / La communication dans des familles "fonctionnelles" et "dysfonctionnelles" avec enfants adolescents. II. Communications non-verbales.

This research focuses on family communications during the critical period of children's puberty provoked change. Two groups of families are compared: one group of 15 "functional" families (no psychological counseling has been requested) and one group of 15 "dysfunctional" families (a psychological counseling has been requested for one of the adolescents). The micro-analysis of the non-verbal communication reveals structural differences between the family systems. This fits with the differences revealed by the analysis of the verbal communications.

[Communication in functional and dysfunctional families with adolescent children. III. Evaluation of the relation of verbal and nonverbal communications]. / La communication dans des familles "fonctionnelles" et "dysfonctionnelles" avec enfants adolescents. III. Mise en relation des communications verbales et non-verbales.

This study analyzes communication in families with one or more adolescent children, thus undergoing a critical period of transition. Two groups are compared: a group of 11 "functional" families (no child referral for psychological problems) and a group of 11 "dysfunctional" families (one adolescent child referral for psychological problems). The analysis of relationships between verbal and non-verbal communication indicates that more inter-channel congruence is achieved in "functional" families; this holds for individual as well as for inter-partners interactions. The results of the previously published separate analysis of verbal and non-verbal communication are briefly resumed. The findings of the study as a whole are interpreted in terms of the General Systems Theory with regard to the function of "parental framing" of the child's development.

[Communication in "functional" and "dysfunctional" families with adolescent children. I. Verbal communication]. / La communication dans des familles "fonctionnelles" et "dysfonctionnelles" avec enfants adolescents.I. Communications verbales.

This research studies family communications during the critical period of change provoked by the puberty of one of the children. Two groups of families are compared: one group of 15 "functional" families (no psychological consultation has been requested) and one group of 15 "dysfunctional" families (a psychological consultation has been requested for one of the adolescents). The micro-analysis of the verbal communications reveals a few significant differences between the two groups of families. The results point to structural differences between the family systems.