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ABSTRACTEmotional awareness is defined as the conscious experience of emotions and plays an important role in realising the link between our feelings and what we think, do and say. In this literature review, we included studies examining those alterations in emotional awareness elicited by non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, specifically by the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The anodal tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increases the ability to discriminate facial expressions; TMS over the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex significantly interferes with emotion recognition abilities. Similarly, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to emotional recognition abilities. Stimulations by repetitive repetitive TMS over the right intraparietal sulcus, improve the identification of emotions. The anodal stimulation over the orbitofrontal cortex, over the posterior superior temporal sulcus and over the right temporo-parietal junction, contributes to enhance emotion recognition abilities. The findings obtained from this work suggest that the brain stimulation techniques over specific brain regions may facilitate the increase of emotional awareness contributing to improve the psychological well-being of individuals.

This study intended to describe general personality functioning in patients with a progressive course of multiple sclerosis. 55 consecutive rehabilitation inpatients with progressive course of multiple sclerosis were assessed with a multimethod test battery: the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Rorschach Test administered and scored with Comprehensive System. The control group comprised 55 healthy participants with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Specific differences were found for both cognitive and affective aspects, as the patients with progressive course of multiple sclerosis had less positive self-image, less effective mediation processing, and an affective approach to reality. Present data illustrated the usefulness of examining patients with a progressive course of multiple sclerosis to identify abilities and difficulties in cognitive and affective patterns, and support better adaptation to relationships and the environment.

Some indexes and variables of the Children's Apperception Test Evaluation Form were used to evaluate children's thematic apperception stories to Bellak's test. The protocols were scored for four indexes: (1) number of words, (2) number of characters (animals) rightly identified, (3) number of modified characters (animals), (4) number of attributions given to the characters (animals) in the stories. The form was also scored for number and types of conflicts evoked in children. Interscorer reliability coefficients were high for all the indexes and variables. The sample included 70 children ages 4.5 to 11.5 yr. The relationship between scores and age and sex was also investigated.

This paper reviews child and adolescent psychotherapy research, with a focus on two major theoretical classes of psychotherapies: cognitive-behavior and psychoanalytic psychotherapies. Our interest is particularly drawn to different issues: definition of psychotherapy and research on outcome and process. Specific attention is given developmental issues. We identify the major results and problems and propose methodological strategies for improving psychotherapeutic treatment research for child and adolescent disorders. Some areas that need to be addressed in the future are also discussed, such as the effects of specific techniques, the intensity and duration of treatment outcome and process, the effect of comorbidity, and the relationship between research and clinical practice.

The Reflective Self-function Scale was originally devised by Fonagy and coworkers to assess parents' capacity to understand and reflect on the mental states of the self and others. The aim of this paper was to describe early normative data for rating the reflective self-function to the Clinical Interview for Parents During Pregnancy. The interview was administered to 112 middle-class couples living in northern Italy and expecting their first baby. Reflective self-function was rated in three areas of the interview: the expected child, the couple's relationship, and the relationship of parents-to-be with their own parents. The paper describes the rationale, rating process, and early normative data in our sample.

The aim of this paper was to investigate parental representation over time using a specially devised Semantic Differential Scale, developed in the context of longitudinal research, carried out during children's first two years of life. 42 parent-couples, during their first experience of parenthood were asked separately to rate the concept of “my child” in specific periods of their child's first year of life. The analysis highlighted the complexity of parental representation of babies.

The aim of this paper is to extend work by Fisher and Cleveland on Barrier and Penetration scores to Italian samples of 286 normal adults and adolescents. The scores were based on Zulliger test protocols administered according to Exner's instructions. Two versions of the scores of both 1958 and 1970 versions were compared. Discussion also concerned variables which might have influenced the scores.

The aim of this paper was to extend work by Fisher and Cleveland on Barrier and Penetration scores to a normal Italian sample of 266 adults. The scores were based on Rorschach protocols administered following Exner's instructions. Some psychometric aspects of the scores were taken into account. Discussion concerned variables which might influence the scores.