The checkered history of tattooing is reviewed and the psychological motives of those obtaining tattoos are examined. Frequently appearing on individuals of lower socioeconomic background, tattoos are an often overlooked source of psychodynamic information. Suggestions are offered to aid the clinician in the appropriate understanding of the significance of tattoos.
The impact of the telephone upon the practice of medicine and psychiatry is reviewed. As an exclusively auditory medium, the telephone conveys meaningful vocal information while screening out visual and other stimuli. It is suggested that some highly anxious and unstable individuals, who find psychotherapy too threatening, may benefit from telephone contact with a therapist. An illustrative case of telephone therapy is presented.
This essay will attempt to show, citing evidence from diverse sources, that eye contact plays a central role in interpersonal relations. The eyes preface most new relationships, overshadowing other sensory inputs while transmitting a wide assortment of emotional cues. Visual behavior may at times prove decisive in assuring survival, in amorous encounters, and in clarifying interpersonal motives. Ocular performance, a final common pathway for many social, cultural and emotional determinants, is a crucial factor in defining relationships and in allowing reciprocal influences to be exchanged as persons relate. In psychiatric patients, ocular behavior may provide clues to diagnosis. A common finding in such persons is gaze aversion, a social avoidance phenomenon which indicates a desire to attenuate the interpersonal experience and thereby decrease anxiety.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.