Somatic Psychology the Somatic Relationship

Somatic Psychology

The Somatic Relationship Between the Adult-Child and Their Parents: A Grounded Theory Study

The relationship between a child and parent is one of the most complex in psychological literature. This relationship has been considered one of the most important since the early pioneers, such as Freud in Jung. A literature review of available academic studies regarding requires an examination of several different disciplines. This literature review will examine six different topics related to this study to be conducted. These areas will help the researcher to gain a rounded a radical basic and will support the grounded theory study that will be conducted. This literature review will provide the background information and will support the methodology used for the study.

Somatic Psychology Efficacy Studies

The field of somatic psychology incorporates the effects of psychology on the body. It considers bodily states of consciousness, physical reactions, muscular patterns, chronic tension, weighs a breathing, skin color and tone, the use of bodily space, and natural pulse nations and rhythms as a potential part of the therapy process. Although the field of somatic psychology is considered to be relatively new, in practice, it has been around for many years. The mind-body connection is considered to be a familiar topic for both psychologists and physicians alike.

Somatic psychology addresses the mind and body as a single unit. It presents an integrated approach to healing conditions of the body by attempting to understand the psychology behind the condition. The adult/child relationship has a dramatic impact on the ability of the child to learn to cope with life's challenges. The purpose of this study is to examine how somatic psychology can be used in therapy to treat a variety of somatic conditions. This is sometimes referred to as body psychotherapy. This branch of psychology is supported by recent developments in neuroscience and other related fields.

Surprisingly, clinical studies regarding the advocacy of somatic psychotherapy were found to be minimal. One of the key reasons for this is that the field is relatively new. Currently, a study is under way that is examining biofeedback-based cognitive behavioral treatment for temporomandibular disorders (Winifried & Jeurgens, ongoing). Currently, no results have been posted for this phase three clinical trial. There are many trials under way that are examining the effects of psychotherapy treatment on physical conditions. One such study, also currently recruiting, intends to study the effects of psychotherapy intervention in depressed patients with coronary artery disease (Herrmann-Lingren, & Albus, ongoing).

A number of studies have examined the efficacy of a certain drug compound vs. psychotherapy for the treatment of a certain condition. One such study examined the efficacy of the drug Fluoxetine vs. short-term behavioural therapy for the treatment of major depression (Karlsson, 2008). However, the results of this study have not yet been published. This study of psychotherapy as an effective treatment for bodily conditions is currently a topic of interest among academic scholars.

Currently, the body of research supports the use of psychotherapy for the treatment of bodily conditions such as dizziness, allergic diseases, somatic syndromes in gynecology (Goto, 2009; Sudo, 2009; Urishoryama, 2009). In a study of pregnant women with prenatal depression, a combination of massage and interpersonal psychotherapy was found to be significantly more effective than either of these therapies used alone (Field, Deed, & Diego, 2009). This body of studies supports the use of psychotherapy in combination with other traditional therapies as an effective alternative for the treatment of many common ailments. Somatic syndromes produce real physical pain and real physical results. However, when no underlying cause can be found for the physical symptoms, the study's demonstrate that psychotherapy is an effective treatment.

Sensory Awareness Efficacy Studies

Sensory awareness is the practice of becoming more aware of oneself. Sensory awareness can help lead to improvements in a person's general state of being. Sensory awareness is currently being studied in connection with the alleviation of many conditions. Sensory awareness means sensing what is happening in the environment and how it affects what one happens to be doing. It was discovered during the literature review that much of what was mentioned about sensory awareness talked about factors that influence sensory awareness in a number of research settings. However, the research did not focus on how sensory awareness could be used to treat somatic conditions.

One of the key subgroups of research regarding sensory awareness were studies conducted on autistic children. A number of sensory awareness interventions have been used with varying degrees of effectiveness on autistic children. The effectiveness of sensory awareness on this group of children depends on severity of the condition, and the setting and quality of sensory awareness training (Baranek, 2002). The same factors could be expected to influence other studies on sensory awareness. Therefore, it difficult to conclude on the effectiveness of sensory awareness as a therapeutic treatment, as it is difficult to rule out these confounding variables. One must be cautious regarding the interpretation of studies that promote the efficacy of sensory awareness as they may have been influenced by these variables.

Nonetheless, sensory awareness is still used in number of clinical settings. This is particularly true in the treatment of neurological disorders. Sensory awareness has been used effectively for the treatment of patients with neuropathic pain (Walk, Sehgal, & Moeller-Bertram, 2009). The effectiveness of sensory awareness techniques tends to decline with age due to the general deterioration of the nervous system (Khalsa, Rudrauf, & Tranel, 2009). Mood was also found to be an important factor in the affectiveness of sensory awareness. A negative mood was found a decrease sensory awareness of painful stimuli (Coen, Yaquez, & Azis et al., 2009).

Sensory awareness, on its most basic level means the ability to determine the shape of one's body. For instance, one should be able to determine without looking if their arm is extended or polled close to their body. This is the most basic level of somatic awareness. However, in the clinical setting, this awareness can be extended to include an awareness of symptoms such as blood pressure, or pain. Thus far, sensory awareness has primarily been used to treat physical symptoms. Few studies were found that did not involve use of century awareness in connection with a physical ailment.

Adult-child / parental relationship studies

Of the subject matters studied thus far in the literature review, the topic of the importance of the parent/child relationship yielded the most clinical studies. In this relationship holds the key to many adult conditions, including psychological conditions and physical conditions. The following will summarize the most recent and important of the studies examined.

Studies found at difficulties that the parent and adult child relationship can affect the child anytime from childhood until their elder years (Pezzin, Pollak, & Schone, 2008; Birditt, Miiller, & Fingerman, et al., 2009). It was founded in latter years depressive symptoms or more likely to occur in elderly persons who had parents that suffered from depressive symptoms. It was found that when parents have children that are healthy and children that are schizophrenic or substance dependant, the parent will unintentionally favour the normal child (Burkhardt, Rudorf, & Brand, et al., 2007). These studies highlight the importance of the adult-child and their relationship with their parents.

Perhaps one of the most studied topics in this area is that of attachment in regards to the mother or other caregiver. It was found that the ability to form strong relationships and adult life was closely connected to the mother/child relationship. The quality of this relationship was reflected in the ability to form attachments in children as early as 5-7 years of age (Moss, 2005). It was found that the relationships between adult children and their parents was described differently by these two age groups. The parents tended to describe the relationship as higher quality. Whereas the child was more likely to report greater calls for assistance by the parent (Shapiro, 2004). This demonstrates had their friends is in perception can skew the results of studies regarding this issue.

One of the most important consistencies in studies about the adult child and parent relationship is that a high degree of variability exists and descriptions of that relationship. Coping mechanisms and relationships varied widely amongst different study groups. However, coping mechanisms were more highly variable when this study was conducted (Kim, Greenberg, & Seltzer, 2003). Hope that child and parent relationship was found to be an important factor in many elements of the psychological makeup of the child and parent. The parent and child relationship has an effect on the ability of the child to form positive attitudes or negative attitudes in adulthood, pending on their childhood relationships with their parents (Korkeila, Kivela, & Suominen et al., in 2004).

The adult child relationship is one of the most widely studied and important and the assessment of adult children with a number of disorders and conditions. It focused on the importance of the relationship in many psychological diseases. Few studies were found that examined this relationship in connection with physical conditions. This was a clear gap in the research that was examined. The proposed research study will attempt to fill this gap by examining the importance of the adult child and parent relationship and its affect on the physical body.

Methodologies found

A number of different study methods were found amongst the studies in the literature review. Many of the studies that examined the use of psychotherapy with the treatment of a condition used a comparative study method. Clinical trials used a comparative study method in most cases. However, studies that were found to be theoretical in nature tended to use either a qualitative interview method or quantitative study methods.

No single method of study was found to be more prevalent in the group studied during the literature review. The method selected was highly dependant on the subject matter and the research question being asked in the study. no single method of study was found to be preferred in this group of literature.

Transactional Analysis Studies

The dynamic power interplay between child and parent is an important factor in the development of behavioural problems in children and in the mother's ability to cope with their behaviours (Gross, Shaw, & Burwell, 2009). This study found that when children develop behaviour problems in school the mothers often internalize symptoms and are more prone to development of depression. Behavioural problems in childhood of both result of increased power struggles between the adult and the child.

Transactional analysis is one of the most effective means for studying the relationships between two groups. One of the core concepts of transactional analysis is that there are three ego-states that people tend to use. The first is the parent (exteropsyche). In this state people behave, feel, and think in a manner that mimics the way in which their parents behaved, felt, and acted. At very closely ties in with social learning theory which states that a child will learn their patterns of behaviour by watching those round them. As many other behaviours are shape during childhood, the most likely person for them to mimic is their parents.

The adult (neopsyche) occurs when a person makes a decision in a state of mind that is highly analytical and lacks emotion. The decision is pragmatic and only based and unreasonable information. The third and final state is the child (archaeopsyche), is the state in which a person in behaves, thinks, or feels as they did when they were a child. Often a person may not realize that this is where the current behaviour comes from. Sometimes the adult may filter their behaviors, not realizing that it was a childhood a motion that starts the response.

To parent and child relationship can extend beyond the childhood home and to many places an adult life. For instance, a supervisor may take on a parental role and treat their employees as if they were children. A child may reverse the role and scold their parents in adulthood. One of the most important things to understand about transactional theory is that it is not only referring to the parent and child roles as they were during a person's actual childhood.

Transactional analysis involves examining the behaviours and transactions amongst people to determine what role each of them is playing. Transactional studies allow the researcher to see the power relationships between various members of the interaction group. The researcher can then use this information to create models into learn about how humans interact with each other. Transactional analysis will play an important in the proposed research study. Historical use other transactional analysis method provides key support for use of this method in this study.

Cultural Dimensions

One of the key considerations that must be taken into account in this study is whether culture has an impact on transactional analysis between the parent an adult child. Transactional analysis typically describes parenting in terms of the degree of control or autonomy that is given to the child by the parents (Shewho k, 2006). Many studies found during the literature review take a decidedly western approach to the issue of child autonomy. This results in the development of a therapy approach that is in not culturally sensitive. In the United States for instance, a major portion of the population is Latino. Norms in Latino culture may influence the results of the study. These cultural factors must be taken into account in order to make an accurate analysis at the behaviours that occur between a parent and child (McCabe, Yeh, & in Garland, 2005). This factor will play an important role in the proposed research study because it will affect the manner in which the adult child reacts to certain situations. For instance, if they learned to respond to the adult with withdrawal and erratic emotional behaviour, this may translate into adult relationships.

Parental behavioural control is a multi-dimensional discipline. There are many stages and factors that help define this important relationship. For instance, parental knowledge describes how much a parent knows about the situation of the child. Parental expectations represent the rules and goals that by the parents for their child. Parental monitoring the process of tracking the child to make certain that they achieve the parental goals and expectations. Parental discipline refers to the enforcement of rules and goals by the parent. Some parents are more demanding than others and had different means of monitoring in enforcing their rules (Shek, 2006).

The parent child relationship is the primary mechanism for establishing the course that a dull relationships will take. The importance of this relationship cannot be underestimated when analyzing the adult. This relationship can be described using three qualities. First quality is trust. Trust goes two way. One can describe the child's trust in the parents and the parents trust in the child (Shek, 2006). The second area is the readiness of the child to communicate with their parents. This is necessary to facilitate the socialization process, limiting the ability of the parent to control the child (Shek, 2006). These dimensions or found to differ considerably amongst Chinese parents and their children. Evaluating Chinese parenting qualities really western standards would lead to erroneous results (Shek, 2006). Qualities of the parent of relationship must be described in the analysed according to the appropriate culture. This factor will become important in the proposed research study, particularly if the sample population contains persons a bit different culture.

Implications of the parent-child relationship

The focus of this study in only adult child. However, in order to understand the impact of the parent and child relationship on the adult, we must examine the most about ending category of studies on the parent-child relationship. Studies regarding the parental relationship during childhood of more numerous the than literature found in any other subcategory of the literature review. Many of the studies concentrate on finding causal relationships between the development of child and adult behaviours and parental relationships child. Although many of the studies maintained positive causal relationships between the factors, other confounding variables are often found be present. Therefore, drawing conclusions based on the studies and using these studies in a therapeutic situation must be done with caution.

Some of the most important studies regarding studies of the parent-child relationship explored a variety of topics stemming from this most important relationship. The parent-child relationship was found to be an important factor in internalizing and externalizing behaviors in early childhood (Hollenstein, Granic, & Stoolmiller et al., 2004). Another study found a correlation between style of parent-child communication and alcohol use amongst first year college students (Cremeens, Usdan, & Brock-martin, 2008). A direct correlation was found between oppositional children in the parent-child when relationship. Successful treatment of these children depended on the ability to foster a more productive parent-child relationship (Nixon, Sweeney, & Erickson, 2004).

In homeless children it was found that fostering a positive parent-child relationship was an important factor in assuring that the child develop normally, despite their unusual living arrangements (Kelly, Buehlman, and Caldwell, 2000). Parent-child relationships were found to be an important factor in the functioning of preschool boys who had been diagnosed with pervasive hyperactivity (Keown & Woodward, 2002). It was also found a ban important factor in different levels of oppositional defiant behaviour (Johnston, 1996).

One of the most widely publicized aspects of the parent-child relationship is its role in the development of literacy in children. It is considered to be an established fact in the school system that fostering a positive parent-child relationship will lead to higher achievement levels in literacy. This fact is supported by an academic research that highlights the role of the parent-child relationship in the academic setting (Dodici, Draper, & Peterson, 2003). Children have parents who read them develop better literacy skills than those whose parents do not read to them.

The effects of that era child relationship during childhood are apparent and supported by a plethora of academic research. However, the not as many longitudinal studies that support the effect of the parent-child relationship on the adult. One of the reasons for a lack of these studies may be that as one gets farther from childhood, other influences in their life may take precedence over early childhood experiences. However, there are still a handful of studies that suggest that the parent-child relationship has a direct impact on the personality of adult children.