Lecturer

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Alp Karaosmanoglu
PsikoNET Psychotherapy and Training Center, Turkey

IN-CONGRESS WORKSHOP on 07.09.2018, 10:30-12:00 :

Fair Enough or Not: The role of cognitive ability to process “fairness” in Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is an emotion that occurs at a hidden or open threat. Experiencing at a very high and/or a chronic nature, makes it hard to live with. Common understanding in treating the anxiety focuses on the increased perception of catastrophic situations, like illnesses, economical or legal disasters. Our recent study proposed that the catastrophic focus on threats at the cognitive level is also related with a increased emphasis of fairness. People who score high on self-sacrifice and punitiveness schemas also scores high on pessimism and vulnerability schemas.

So it looks like the cognitive bias in anxiety disorders are not only towards the likelihood of an catastrophic event that will occur, but also towards the way of happening of it, in an unfair situation or not. Sickness is “bad” but not taking enough precautions is “worse”. Focussing on the being responsible of the catastrophe is a hidden source for the anxiety.

The aim of this workshop is to learn using techniques focused on over-resposibility that specific to anxiety.

KEYNOTE on 07.09.2018, 17:30-18:30:

Phobia of Commonness. Recent findings and thoughts about the mechanism of Narcisism

This keynote will be about a hypothetical explanation for the narcissistic cognitive and emotional schemas - high standards, status seeking, entitlement and insufficient self discipline.  Our recent study (in review) showed that these personality triads are clustered around a need that can be called “an excessive need for freedom”. They try to fulfill this need by gaining all the necessary assets like high standards and status or even at a more childish level, by feeling entitled to act on impulses.

Our hypothetical explanation for this need will be about a fear of commonness. Like most of the anxiety disorders with a fear of catastrophe in many areas of life, the excessive need for freedom can be a coping strategy against a forgotten catastrophe: being enslaved.

Using this rationalisation with our narcissistic clients helps us to build a therapeutic collaboration. Instead of fighting against the need, we are concentrating on the catastrophic perception of normal life situations as being forced to have a life without pleasure.