Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A self psychological perspective

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, an illness with debilitating effects on both the body and mind, has received increased attention in the last several years. Yet there has been hardly any documentation of the psychotherapy of afflicted individuals. The author suggests that self psychology is a useful approach in such cases, not only in addressing the effects of the illness, but in facilitating the patient's maintenance of much needed selfobject ties and the ability to follow the complex and difficult medical treatment program. A case illustration demonstrates these dynamics. Self experience of such individuals is then explored with specific reference to nuclear vs. peripheral selves. The author catalogues disruptions in selfobject ties as a result of the illness and offers treatment recommendations.I wish to thank Susan Sands, Ph.D., and Karen Rogers, MFCC, for their support and editorial contributions.     

Labor force participation and family formation: A study of working mothers

Drawing upon a sample of 638 mothers aged 18 to 40, with at least some marital work experience, significant associations were found between the extent, kind, and timing of employment and a series of family formation variables. Generally lower fertility, longer first birth intervals, and earlier use of birth control were associated with the longest work durations, the highest status jobs, and work before the birth of the first child. The data failed, however, to differentiate desired family size.     

Chapter 11’s invisible men

Chapter 11 can be thought of as a Ring of Gyges, protecting corporate executives from past or prospective misdeeds and missteps. The Manville Case is an example.     

THE METRICS OF STYLE: ADAM SMITH TEACHES EFFICIENT RHETORIC

Does style matter for economic writing? Several stylistic characteristics of ninety-seven AEA presidential addresses, including word length, sentence length and percent of sentences in the passive voice, were computed and used to explain citations to these economists' work. Avoidance of the passive is an old stylistic norm given by Adam Smith. Word length and sentence length serve as modern stylistic norms. Only the percent passive matters to explain citations. Perhaps not coincidentally, while writing clarity in our data set has declined over time when measured by the new norm, it has improved when measured by the old norm.     

Setting Up a Rural Private Practice*

This irreverent, somewhat breezy paper describes the experience of the author in establishing a private practice in an unusual setting and offers some observations for others. Editor.