Golan Shahar

• PhD
• Managing Director at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Although conflict between romantic partners may reduce their relationship satisfaction, personal characteristics of the dyad members are likely to attenuate this effect. This study examined the combined effects of conflict and self-concept clarity (SCC), pertaining to the clarity and coherence of self-perception, on relationship satisfaction among...

Introduction Continuity of Care (CoC) is central to suicide prevention. The present study aims to review contemporary definitions, operationalization in research, and key components of CoC in the prevention of suicide. Methods The present study is a narrative review. A thorough search of available literature on CoC and suicidality was conducted. S...

The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior (IPTS) posits that suicide stems from a motivation to die by suicide, emanating from perceived-burdensomeness and failed belongingness, and a capacity to kill oneself. We propose a bridge between IPTS and dissociation theory/research via a recent reformulation of Melanie Klein’s notion of...

Background and Methods: Based on an established ongoing prospective-longitudinal study examining anxiety in response to COVID-19, a representative sample of 1018 Jewish-Israeli adults were recruited online. A baseline assessment was employed two days prior to the first spread of COVID-19, followed by six weekly assessments. Three classes of general...

Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we examined mediational models connecting autonomy support and self-criticism to negative affect (NA), positive affect (PA), and goal progress (GP) via autonomous and controlled motivation. Separate measures were obtained within eight domains (e.g., academic performance and intimate relationships) for 346 u...

Recent works in personality and psychopathology emphasize both trait and state self-criticism as transdiagnostic risk factors for mental disorders. Yet, common screening and intake measures do not include assessment of state self-criticism. We provide a reanalysis of data from nine samples (total N=1,442), with the aim to identify and validate a st...

Social anxiety (SA) and depression are marked by enhanced avoidance motivations (apprehensions) and reduced approach motivations (aspirations). Integrating an approach/avoidance motivational model with the evolutionary-inspired motivational perspective, we examined the associations of SA and depression with apprehensions and aspirations in the doma...

Objective: Relying on anthropomorphism research, Illness Personification Theory (ILL-PERF) posits that individuals living with a chronic illness ascribe human-like characteristics to their illness. Herein we examine the personification of chronic pain using a new measure: the Ben-Gurion University Illness Personification Scale (BGU-IPS). Method: Th...

We present what the current state of affairs in Israel concerning psychoanalytic psychotherapy. First, we present a succinct historical account of the unfolding of the psychoanalytic perspective (including psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy) in Israel, with a particular focus on its contentious relationship with other psychotherapy sch...

Background: Despite a robust consensus regarding the potentially negative implications of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), research investigating risk and protective factors—particularly among well-functioning young adults—is scant. Dissociation is one of the major maladaptive outcomes of CSA. Nevertheless, CSA explains only about 10% of the variance...

According to the attention restoration theory, exposure to nature (ETN) renews one's capacity to focus attention, which decreases cognitive fatigue and therefore may increase positive emotions. Indeed, natural settings have been associated with high prevalence of happy facial expressions (HFE). However, how universal the association is, remains unc...

Self-criticism is a stable personality trait identified as a serious risk factor for psychopathology and weight-related health problems. Therefore, it is relevant to epidemiological research, which requires a relatively brief instrument for measuring trait self-criticism in the general population. The current study introduces a brief measure of sel...

Recent works in personality and psychopathology emphasize both trait and state self-criticism as transdiagnostic risk factors for mental disorders. Yet, common screening and intake measures do not include assessment of state self-criticism. We provide a reanalysis of data from nine samples (total N=1,442), with the aim to identify and validate a st...

Introduction: Depression and anxiety are prevalent in women suffering from breast cancer. However, the determinants of depression and anxiety in this population are not well known, particularly in the context of psychotherapy. Drawing from Blatt's theory, we examined the role of Depressive Personality Vulnerability (DPV) in depression and anxiety...

In this article, I present insights gleaned from over a decade of working in therapy with physicians in the trenches who practice at general hospitals located in an area afflicted by the community and political violence, and recently, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychotherapy with these physicians requires an integrative psychotherapeutic approach th...

Self-criticism constitutes an important risk factor to psychopathology. However, it has never been investigated in the context of health anxiety. The authors examined the role of self-criticism in health anxiety in Arab and Israeli young adults, while controlling for known predictors of health anxiety -- anxiety sensitivity, depression, major and m...

In contrast to the fruitful relationship between psychoanalysis/psychoanalysts and the humanities, institutionalized psychoanalysis has been largely resistant to the integration of psychoanalysis with other empirical branches of knowledge (infant observation, psychotherapy research, psychological and neurobiological sciences), as well as clinical o...

We compared three hypothetical trajectories of change in both general and COVID-19-specific anxiety during the 1st wave of the spread in the state of Israel: panic (very high anxiety, either from the outset or rapidly increasing), complacency (stable and low anxiety), and threat-sensitive (a moderate, linear increase compatible with the increase in...

Suicide rates are elevated in individuals with chronic illness, yet few studies have examined risk factors for suicide in this population. Drawing from theoretical models and risk factors identified in the suicide literature more broadly, this article provides a conceptual overview of cognitive (e.g., pain catastrophizing, self-criticism), affectiv...

As the world views, incredulously, the calamitous consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inseparable connections between body and mind become more and more apparent, even for the heretics (i.e., biological determinists). Such realizations also bolster the understanding of the close link between medical conditions and psychopathology. Launched p...

Objectives: The COVID-19 epidemic is affecting the entire world and hence provides an opportunity examine how people from different countries engage in hopeful thinking. The aim of this study was to examine the potentially facilitating role of perceived social support vis-à-vis hope as well as the mediating role of loneliness between perceived soc...

Postpartum emotional distress is very common, with 10%–20% of postpartum women reporting depressive or anxiety disorders. Sleep is a modifiable risk factor for emotional distress that has a pivotal role in postpartum adjustment. The present study aimed to examine whether sleep duration and quality during pregnancy predict trajectories of emotional...

Objective: To explore the implications of father absence due to divorce on young adults’ well-being and romantic relationships. Background: Studies have demonstrated the negative implications of father absence, a common consequence of divorce, on children’s development. However, previous research has not systematically compared complete vs. partial...

Objective: This research explores the implications of father absence due to divorce on young adults’ well-being and romantic relationships. Background: Studies have demonstrated the negative implications of father absence, a common consequence of divorce, on children’s development. However, previous research has not systematically compared complete...

Clinical Impact Statement Question: How should treatment with highly demoralized, often treatment-resistant, patients coming to therapy be terminated? Findings: Drawing from Using Termination as an Intervention, clinicians may inquire about the smallest therapeutic achievement that would still render—according to the patient—worthwhile and set a de...

As the COVID-19 outbreak peaks, millions of individuals are losing their income, and economic anxiety is felt worldwide. In three different countries (the USA, the UK, and Israel: N = 1200), the present study addresses four different sources of anxiety: health-related anxiety, economic-related anxiety, daily routine-change anxiety, and anxiety gene...

Parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children derails the success of mass vaccination campaigns. We examined the effect of parents’ personification of the vaccinating agency on vaccine hesitancy (i.e. negative or positive mind change) in 555 parents in a mass wild poliovirus vaccination campaign. Parents were assessed before and after the campaign...

The interplay between personality and psychopathology in young adults’ insomnia is poorly understood. The authors examined the main-and-interactive role of self-criticism, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in young adults’ insomnia, as well as the potentially mediating role of sleep-related arousal and maladaptive cognitive styles. One hundred sixty...

Objective: Individuals exposed to trauma, especially those who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are at a higher risk of suffering from chronic pain as well as altered pain perception and modulation. However, the underlying mechanisms of these processes are yet to be established. Recent findings have indicated that trauma survivors ten...

The realization that heroism – representing either a trait or a value system – is potentially pernicious is important for both scientific and societal reasons. In this article, we adopt a psychobiographical perspective to analyze the character and life of one of Israel’s greatest heroes, Yonathan (“Yoni”) Netanyahu. Yoni was an illustrious military...

We compared vulnerability and scarring models linking self-concept and psychological distress in young adulthood. Whereas the vulnerability model posits self-concept pathology leading to psychological distress, the prediction of the scarring model is inverse. We also examined the moderating role of exposure to missile attacks. Israeli young adults...

Psycosomatic Medicine, Medically unexplained symptoms, Functional neurology, Hypnosis

Background: Victimization by bullying among adolescents is a widespread phenomenon associated with depression and suicidal ideation. Coping with bullying may include aggressive responding and self-blame. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the role adolescent self-blame and aggression – representing coping with peer bullying – in depress...

Purpose of Review We identify trends and gaps in the literature on the role of social support in the psychopathology and risky behavior of youths exposed to political violence and mass disasters. We also discuss the implications of recent research’s findings and suggest directions for future research. Recent Findings Political violence and natural...

The present study addresses the role of personality pathology in minor and moderate-severe non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among young adults. Israeli first year university students (n=114) were assessed twice for personality disorder features, depressive personality styles, trait dissociation, depressive symptoms, suicidality, and NSSI. Obsessive-...

Despite the shift toward a biopsychosocial paradigm of medicine, many physicians and mental health professionals (MHPs) find it difficult to treat patients with psycho-somatic disorders. This situation is particularly troublesome due to the high prevalence of these conditions. Although progress has been made over the last few decades in understandi...

This special issue is predicated upon the premise that there exists a subjective‐agentic personality sector (SAPS) that is crucially relevant to the understanding and treatment of psychopathology. SAPS is often overlooked by “trait” models in personality psychology. It is comprised of “hot” cognitions about one's self and identity as they unfold th...

Despite the shift toward a biopsychosocial paradigm of medicine, many physicians and mental health professionals (MHPs) find it difficult to treat patients with psycho-somatic disorders. This situation is particularly troublesome due to the high prevalence of these conditions. Although progress has been made over the last few decades in understandi...

The aim of this study is to examine the role of repeated exposure to rocket attacks in the links between personality vulnerability (dependency and self-criticism) and internalizing/externalizing psychopathology. A main-effect vulnerability model (personality leads to psychopathology) was compared with a main-effect scarring model (psychopathology l...

We review the theoretical and empirical literature on the role of the self‐concept in suicidal behavior in the context of mood disorders (i.e., unipolar depression and bipolar spectrum disorders). The main themes emanating from this review are then juxtaposed against (1) the Interpersonal‐Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005), and (2...

Little is known about the effect of personality traits on learning. Thus the aim of this investigation was to better understand the role of depressive personality traits – primarily self-criticism and approach and inhibition tendencies – in reward and punishment learning. In two studies (Study 1: N = 38; Study 2: N = 100), we used a probabilistic c...

( 초록 ) 수많은 이론적-철학적 명제들이 Blatt의 광범위하고 탁월한 학문적 업적으로부터 나왔다. 그의 주요 연구 주제들은 (1) 인지, 특히 현실에 대한 마음의 지형도 혹은 표상; (2) 인본주의적인 요소들의 영향 (예컨데, 에이전시, 성장에 대한 열망, 게슈탈트, 균형 욕구 그리고 회복 탄력성); (3) 프로이트가 말한 역동적 무의식에 대한 끝없는 통찰, 이렇게 요약할 수 있을 것이다. 철학적 입장에서, Blatt은 ‘인지-인본주의적 정신역동’이라고 부를만한, 통합적 역량과 추종을 불허하는 업적들을 남겼다.

Abstract Although the role of exposure to nature (ETN) in improving well-being was previously demonstrated, most of the existing research is derived from self-report measures. Conversely, geoinformatics methodologies are seldom used. To address this gap, we examined the prevalence of happy facial expressions (HFE) in natural settings such as water...

Pavlo, Flanagam, Leither, and Davidson attempt to reconcile the recovery movement in mental health service with a formal diagnostic practice is as courageous as it is timely. Acknowledging this, I note several points of convergence and divergence with the authors’ views. Points of convergence include (1) the inevitability of a diagnostic system whe...

Despite considerable progress in depression research and treatment, the disorder continues to pose daunting challenges to scientists and practitioners alike. This article presents a novel conceptualization of the psychological dynamics of depression which draws from Melanie Klein's notion of the positions, reformulated using social-cognitive terms....

Three aspects of heroic self-representations have recently been identified: self-as-savior, self-as-conqueror, and heroic-identification (i.e., linking oneself with heroes). In Israeli-Jewish society, heroism represents a convergence of the cultural myth of the Tzabar (the tough New Jew) with manic-narcissistic defenses that replace helplessness wi...

Introduction: Despite the accumulated knowledge about suicide, suicidal acts remain difficult to predict, and many suicides are acted out impulsively. Methods: We performed a psychological autopsy study based on inquiries about the deaths of all male soldiers aged 18-21 years who served in the Israeli army and died by suicide between 2009 and 20...

Background and objectives: Soldiers exposed to war are at risk for developing psychological impairment. Aim: Compare the clinical impairment experienced in three different soldiers who were exposed to combat during military operation. Methods/Design: Participants included 49 (40.2%) infantry soldiers, 24 (19.7%) pilots and flight engineers, and 49...

Abstract Objective: This study examined three theoretical models of the relationship between depressive symptoms and somatic complaints among Bedouin Arab and Jewish college\university students in Israel. The functional model, suggests that somatic complaints may precede depressive symptoms; the affect-dysregulation model, suggests that depressive...

Background: Chronic physical pain is one of modern medicine's principal challenges. Recently, there has been a keen research interest in the role of Depressive Personality Vulnerability (DPV) in the course of chronic pain. Objective: This is the first attempt to examine the role of three leading DPV dimensions - sociotropy, autonomy, and self-cr...

Background and Aims: Adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR), as defined by the presence of attenuated psychosis symptoms (APS), exhibit increased levels of suicidal ideation and behavior. However, no research thus far has examined the link between basic self-disturbances (SD), an established marker for CHR, and suicidality/self-harm...

Objective: We examined the effects of exposure to missile attacks on patients' pain and depressive symptoms, moderated by pain-related catastrophizing. Method: One-hundred Israeli chronic pain patients were assessed both prior and subsequent to military operation "Protective Edge," during which thousands of missiles landed on populated areas acr...

Background: Intent to die is an important component of suicide risk assessment. The authors compared the predictive effect of two forms of stress – military and perceived – in intent to die by suicide among young adult Israeli soldiers with a history of suicide attempts. Depression, suicide ideation, and habituation/acquired capacity for suicidalit...

From the point of view of Cognitive–Existential Psychodynamics (Shahar, 2015a, 2016; Shahar & Schiller, 2016; Ziv-Beiman & Shahar, 2016), active techniques—primarily cognitive–behavioral therapy ones—might not only reduce distress but also bolster the therapeutic relationships and serve as powerful vehicles for self-discovery and growth. This, howe...

Behavioral activation is an effective treatment for depression, based on targeting deprivation of positive rewards. It becomes more and more evident that many forms of mental disorders and psychological suffering involve reduction of goal-driven and pleasant activities. This reduction leaves negative mental states free to take the center of conscio...

Objective: Parental compliance is crucial to the success of mass vaccination campaigns targeting children. Relying on psychological/neuroscientific research concerning the role of personification (i.e., viewing the inanimate as human) in behavior, the authors examined the effect of parents' personification of the Israeli Ministry of Health (MoH) o...

Background Consistent with the human tendency to anthropomorphize objects, events, and situations, individuals might ascribe human characteristics to physical symptoms and illnesses. This manuscript presents an examination of chronic pain personification in torture survivors. Specifically, it was hypothesized that torture survivors personify chroni...

A number of broad-based, theoretical-philosophical tenets are to be gleaned from Sidney Blatt’s voluminous, extensive, and unique scholarly work. Dominant themes in Blatt’s life and work include (1) his fascination with cognition, particularly mental maps, or representations, of reality; (2) the influence of humanistic values (e.g., agency, need fo...

Abstract Elevated levels of depressive and somatic symptoms have been documented among college students. Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of Bedouin Arab students studying at institutions of higher education in southern Israel. To date, research on coping and mental-health problems among students who are members o...

Background: Studies have consistently demonstrated the negative impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on intimate relationships. The majority of studies have focused on revictimization in at-risk or clinical samples, with very few addressing the impact of CSA on otherwise well-functioning adults and even fewer investigating the psychological mecha...

Past research has produced convincing evidence for the association between perceived societal threat and political conservatism. Based on the view of political worldviews and threat perceptions as multifaceted constructs, the present study suggests that certain types of perceived threat are actually associated with the endorsement of more political...

Background: In chronic pain, patients' coping affects their adaptation. In two studies, we examined the role of pain catastrophizing, a maladaptive coping strategy, in pain, distress, and disability. In Study 2 we compared catastrophizing to pain acceptance and to other coping strategies. Methods: Study 1. Chronic pain patients (N = 428) were as...

An integrative-psychodynamic theory of criticism in self and relationships is presented (Shahar, 2015). My theoretical starting point is the tension between Authenticity (A; our inherited potential, tantamount to Winnicott's True Self) and Self-Knowledge (SK; what we [think] we know about ourselves). Self-criticism, a formidable dimension of vulner...

Ascending to prominence in virtually all forms of psychotherapy, therapist self-disclosure (TSD) has recently been identified as a primarily integrative intervention (Ziv-Beiman, 2013). In the present article, we discuss various instances in which using TSD in integrative psychotherapy might constitute a clinical error. First, we briefly review ext...

Relying on the two-factor model of personality development (e.g., Blatt & Blass, 1992) and evolutional psychology perspective on self-criticism (SC; e.g., P Gilbert & Irons, 2005), we examined the role of evaluative processes in SC by investigating SC individuals' reactions to achievement success and achievement failure. We hypothesized that induci...

Objective: Despite growing recognition of the importance of childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) on the development of psychopathology, very few studies have addressed its impact on adult romantic relationship functioning, particularly among otherwise relatively well-functioning individuals. In an attempt to further elucidate the mechanism under...

In the last few decades, the existential-humanistic tradition in psychology—also known as the third force—has taken over the field of clinical psychology. It did so quietly, almost unassumingly, without resorting to monumental political arrangements (“empires”) or bombarding psychologists with decisive messages about the approaches superiority. Evi...

The extent to which patients experience their therapists as providing empathy, positive regard and genuineness (the Rogerian Conditions) is an important predictor of outcome in the psychotherapy of depression (Zuroff & Blatt, 2006). Using data from 157 depressed outpatients treated by 27 therapists in the cognitive-behavior therapy, interpersonal t...

The authors tested three theoretical models linking self, stress, and psychopathological distress in emerging adulthood. The vulnerability model posits that self-concept pathology leads to distress. The scarring model postulates that distress and stress lead to self-concept pathology. The stress generation model stipulates that distress and self-co...

The longitudinal associations between depression and somatization among two ethnic groups. this research work was presented in the World Psychological Forum-2015.

Objective: We report a first randomized clinical trial examining the effect of immediate and non-immediate therapist self-disclosure in the context of a brief integrative psychotherapy for mild to moderate distress. Method: A total of 86 patients with mild to moderate forms of distress were randomly divided into three 12-session integrative psyc...

The authors compared the protective effects of 3 sources of perceived social support-from family members, friends, and school personnel-on internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents exposed to rocket attacks. Data were based on 362 Israeli adolescents (median age = 14), chronically exposed to rockets from the Gaza Strip, for whom robus...

Negative perceptions of self and others have lately become one of the criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among adults and adolescents. Drawing from theories of mental representations in psychopathology, this study examined self-reported negative cognitions, self and parental representations, and relationship themes among adolescents...

We examined the role of depressive traits-self-criticism and dependency-in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal ideation among inpatient adolescents with eating disorders. In two studies (N = 103 and 55), inpatients were assessed for depressive traits, suicidal ideations, and NSSI. In Study 2, motivation for carrying out NSSI was also assess...

Self-criticism is a personality trait that has been implicated in a wide range of psychopathologies and developmental arrests. Defined as the tendency to set unrealistically high standards for one's self and to adopt a punitive stance towards the self once these standards are not met, self-criticism is both active and cyclical. Self-critics activel...

Symptoms of both depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are prevalent among first-time mothers following birth. However, the direction of the association between the two types of symptoms is unclear. Ninety six first-time mothers giving birth via vaginal delivery (N=38), emergency C-Section (N=27) and planned C-Section (N=21) were ass...

The current study sets out to examine the longitudinal relationship between pain, pain-related disability, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The latter symptoms are highly prevalent in chronic pain and seriously impede functioning and quality of life. Nevertheless, the direction of the relationship involving these variables among individuals...

The aims of this longitudinal study were to examine (a) development of infant sleep and maternal sleep from 3 to 6 months postpartum; (b) concomitant and prospective links between maternal sleep and infant sleep; and (c) triadic links between paternal involvement in infant caregiving and maternal and infant sleep. The study included 57 families tha...

Suicide ideation is highly common in chronic pain patients, with prevalence ranging from 17 to 66 %.  Chronic is a multifactorial construct with congitive, emotional, sensory and behavioral aspects.  The majority of studies on suicidality in pain focus on sociodemographic rather than personality and interpersonal predictors.  Bio-psycho-social m...

Female physicians, residents, and medical students commonly suffer from depression and dyadic and sexual dissatisfaction. To identify self-related risk factors for depression and dyadic and sexual dissatisfaction in female medical students in Israel. In Study 1, 194 female medical students were assessed twice over a 1-year interval. Depressive symp...

Psychotherapy integration is an intellectual/professional movement within the mental health field whose aim is to transcend the various “large psychotherapy schools” (e.g., cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, experiential, family systems) by encouraging the exploration of integrative forms of treatment. In this entry, an illustrative clinical exam...