J.A.S.P.E.R.: Making the Meandering Mentalizations of the Sad, Scared, Mad into Meaningful Mult-layered Manuscripts of the Mind

Considerable misinformation and mischaracterizations exist of individuals who were sad, scared, or in the throes of madness, but could not speak for themselves and who have been highly stigmatized, set apart from the... [ view full abstract ]

Considerable misinformation and mischaracterizations exist of individuals who were sad, scared, or in the throes of madness, but could not speak for themselves and who have been highly stigmatized, set apart from the mainstream, and often mistreated. Ironically, some of the stigmatization has unwittingly emanated from, or has been fostered by well-meaning professionals. In their zeal to make break-throughs, they advanced a host of theories as if they were long-established facts. Accordingly, ADHD, Pediatric bi-polar disorder, and so on, came into being because it was thought that certain kinds of behavior were either neurological and/or biochemical. These diagnostic categories were invented as explanations, but the explanations—through circular reasoning--soon became the justification for the categories themselves. Although the origins or these two diagnoses and many others, were assumed, there was no scientific evidence to show that they were caused by faulty neurology or biochemistry. Therefore, scientific journals needed to be created which would publish solid studies looking into processes giving rise to emotional problems. One such journal is Psychosis. It examines the most severe forms of emotional problems. I have created another journal which expands the continuum leading up to and eventuating in psychotic states from a psychoanalytic perspective: The Journal for the Advancement of Scientific Psychoanalytic Empirical Research (J.A.S.P.E.R.). J.A.S.P.E.R. has been created to provide a central warehouse of detailed, systematic qualitative observational data and intensive quantitative analysis of factors contributing to the development of emotional problems; how to alleviate them; the efficacy of psychoanalytic praxis: what works, what does not; what interventions are indicated, and which are contraindicated. J.A.S.P.E.R. is concerned with examining psychoanalytic concepts like the unconscious, transference, countertransference, dream-work, attachment, separation-individuation, castration anxiety, and a number of other psychoanalytic constructs to see if they are, or are not valid.