THE UNCONSCIOUS AS INFORMATION-PROCESSING AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR MODERN CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGY

Authors
Citation
Ob. Scholz, THE UNCONSCIOUS AS INFORMATION-PROCESSING AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR MODERN CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGY, Zeitschrift fur Psychologie mit Zeitschrift fur angewandte Psychologie, 205(4), 1997, pp. 327-356
Citations number
108
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology
ISSN journal
00443409
Volume
205
Issue
4
Year of publication
1997
Pages
327 - 356
Database
ISI
SICI code
0044-3409(1997)205:4<327:TUAIAI>2.0.ZU;2-M
Abstract
Recent research efforts of unconscious (implicit, automatic) processes have gone largely unnoticed in the German-speaking clinical psycholog y. It is the aim of this article to give a review of results and probl ems regarding this research. The focus shall be a commenting collectio n of available findings on hand for clinical psychology. Methods to ex amine unconscious information processing are described. Identification -, interference-, conditioning-and process-dissociation methods are di fferentiated. Of the numerous factors influencing unconscious processe s, stimuli characteristics are discussed first. In particular stimulus modalities, distracter effects and the personal relevance of stimuli will be looked at in detail. Then the influence of relevant dispositio nal characteristics of behavior for the unconscious processes are cons idered. Here, the relevance of mood, stress and anxiety will be emphas ized. The significance of disorder-specific characteristics on unconsc ious information processing is discussed. In this context obsessive-co mpulsive, depressive and anxiety disorders are examined in particular. An outlook is made considering the research results and the validity of their underlying design paradigm. Research desiderata and possible applications are pointed out.