The concept of regression is considered with an emphasis on the differences between the positions of Freud and Jung regarding its significance. The paper discusses the results of experimental analyses of individual experience dynamics (from gene expression changes and impulse neuronal activity in animals to prosocial behaviour in healthy humans at different ages, and humans in chronic pain) in those situations where regression occurs: stress, disease, learning, highly emotional states and alcohol intoxication. Common mechanisms of regression in all these situations are proposed. The mechanisms of regression can be described as reversible dedifferentiation, which is understood as a relative increase of the representation of low‐differentiated (older) systems in the actualized experience. In all of the cases of dedifferentiation mentioned above, the complexity of the systemic organization of behaviour significantly decreases.

As shown in our previous paper ('Regression I. Experimental approaches to regression', JAP, 65, 2, 345-65), the common mechanism of regression can be described as reversible dedifferentiation, which is understood as a relative increase of the proportion of low-differentiated (older) systems in actualized experience. Experimental data show that regression following disease (chronic tension headache) is followed by adaptation and an increase in system differentiation in that experience domain which contains systems responsible for that adaptation. The results of mathematical modelling support the idea that reversible dedifferentiation can be one of the mechanisms for increasing the effectiveness of adaptation through learning. Reversible dedifferentiation, which is phenomenologically described as regression, is a general mechanism for restructuring the organism-environment interactions in situations where behaviours that were effective in the past become ineffective. Reversible dedifferentiation has evolved as a component of adaptation when new behaviours are formed and large-scale modifications in the existing behaviours are required in the face of changes in the external and/or internal environment. Thus, the authors believe that this article provides evidence for Jung's view that regression is not only a 'return' to past forms of thinking, affects and behaviour, but that regressive processes provide a significant impetus for psychological growth and development.

The paper is focused on ethical issues of making decisions about cryopreserved embryos in the context of relationship break-up in the framework of the embryo’s legal status and the church’s stand on the matter. All these issues can be viewed as part of a broader problem of intuitive and rational foundations for decision-making when facing difficult situations in life. On the one hand, the stressful context of the situation implies intuitive-driven decision-making; on the other hand, assisted reproductive technologies are largely counter-intuitive. We describe the peculiarities of family psychotherapy with mixed-agenda couples going through a divorce who have joint cryopreserved embryos but disagree on what to do with them. We introduce a protocol for psychotherapeutic work in the situation when one partner wishes to continue with the fertility treatment and have a child while the other partner is determined to utilize joint embryos as unwanted biological material. In addition, we discuss emotional and social complications that may arise (guilt, unfaithfulness of one of the partners, other losses, and grieving).

This paper describes the experiment, which tested the hypothesis that urban and rural children´s moral attitudes toward out-group members are developed by systemic differentiation, i.e. their subjective experience´s complication. Participants are 179 3—11-year-old children from Moscow and Alexandrov Gay (Saratov region town). Children solved moral dilemmas dedicated to in-out-group conflict. The significant difference between younger and older children’s strategies was revealed: younger children are tending to support in-group members, whereas older children tending to support victims, even if they are out-group members. This trend is universal for both urban and rural children. The data is discussed within system-evolutionary approach.

В статье представлены результаты исследования, в рамках которого изучалось отношение к членам аутгрупп («чужим») у людей в состоянии стресса разного генеза и без стресса. Респонденты (N = 86) решали моральные дилеммы, основанные на конфликте «своего»агрессора и «чужого»-жертвы. Выявлено, что для людей в состоянии стресса разного генеза характерна регрессия к «детским» стратегиям отношения к «чужим»: «поддерживаю своего, даже если он не прав», а взрослые без стресса придерживаются стратегии «ценность жизни любого существа». Поведение субъекта принципиально не отличается при стрессах разного генеза и характеризуется стрессовой дедифференциацией-увеличением доли низкодифференцированных «древних» систем в обеспечении поведения индивида. Субъективное качество выбора (удовлетворенность выбором, его эмоциональный знак) отличается в разных группах: люди в состоянии специально индуцированного стресса оценивают свой выбор положительно, больше в нем уверены, чем люди без стресса, при этом отличий от людей в ситуационном стрессе неопределенного генеза не обнаружено. Библиогр. 33 назв. Табл. 1. Ключевые слова: системно-эволюционный подход, системная дедифференциация, стресс, моральный выбор, моральная дилемма, отношение к «чужим». I. I. Znamenskaya, Yu. I. Alexandrov DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESS ALTER MORAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS OUTGROUP MEMBERS We have examined moral attitudes towards outgroup members of people in diff erent types of stress conditions. Participants (N = 86) solved moral dilemmas based on aggressor-ingroup member and victim-outgroup member oppositions. Th e comparison of the present research data with previous ones conducted on children reveals statistically signifi cant regression to early "childish" forms of behavior in moral choice situations, namely the preference by adults for the strategy of supporting an ingroup member even if he acts unfairly. Th ere are no signifi cant diff erences in behavior of people in diff erent types of stress. Reversible increasing of low-diff erentiated systems to support behavior (i.e. system dediff erentiation) is common for stressful situation. Th is work was supported by Russian Science Foundation Grant № 14-28-00229, Institute of Psychology RAS. Refs 33. Table 1.