Newsletter No. 391

No. 391, 19.1.2012 5 In Plain View www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/english/features/style-speaks/index.html ‘Dear Editor,…’ The Editor sometimes get ‘fan mails’ from other colleagues with suggestions for clarifying certain word usage and style matters. The following selection is offered after careful research with established authorities. as well as The author of Fowler’s Modern English Usage warns that it is not a preposition meaning ‘besides’ but a conjunction meaning ‘and not only’. between/among A common misconception is that between is used when referring two things whereas among is used when the number exceeds two. The Chicago Manual of Styles thinks otherwise and states that between indicates one-to-one relationships. Hence, the sentence below is perfectly legitimate: All of the four players tell lies between themselves. On the other hand, among is used for undefined or collective relationships as in: The ship came through the storm with the camaraderie among the crew. cum This Latin word means ‘with’ and in its English manifestation usually means ‘combined with’. The familiar phrase cum laude means to graduate with distinction. Caution should therefore be exercised when using it in place of ‘and’. presently It pays to take note that ‘presently’ does not mean ‘at present’ but rather ‘soon’. This is supported by The Economist Style Guide . Editor 藝 文 風 景 A TOUCH OF CLASS 《藍梨》 崇基學院校友及校董曾陳桂梅女士結合攝影和電腦藝術的作品，展於該院六十周 年院慶作品展 The Blue Pear Combining photography and digital art, the artwork created by Mrs. Carol Tsang, alumna and College Trustee of Chung Chi College, was displayed at the College’s 60th Anniversary Art Exhbition 梁耀堅教授於加拿大 康哥迪亞大學取得臨 床心理學哲學博士學 位，1993年加入中大 心理學系，現兼任逸 夫書院書院輔導長。 梁教授的研究範圍是 成人心理病理學、人 格障礙和佛學靜觀療 法。他是美國心理學 會臨床心理學組及香 港心理學會臨床心理 學組成員，1994至97 年間擔任香港心理學 會多個職位，包括名 譽司庫、副主席和主 席。1998至2000年出 任《華人心理學報》的 創刊編輯。 Prof. Freedom Y.K. Leung obtained his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Concordia University, Canada. He joined the Department of Psychology, CUHK, in 1993 and is concurrently the Dean of Students of Shaw College. Professor Leung’s research interests include adult psychopathology, personality disorders, and mindfulness therapy. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and its Clinical Division, and Hong Kong Psychological Society and its Clinical Division. Professor Leung had served in different capacities in Hong Kong Psychological Society including honorary treasurer, vice-president and president from 1994 to 1997. During 1998 to 2000, he was the founding editor of Journal of Psychology in Chinese Society . how negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, sadness; and positive ones such as desire twist our minds. This ties in with Buddhist theories. From the physical appearances of the Chinese characters for these words, one can almost visualize how emotions can twist the mind. A specialist in psychopathology, Professor Leung’s recent research interests are emotional disorders and personality disorders, in particular, the mental features of borderline personality disorder. Sufferers of the said condition are assailed by tumultuous emotions and have very unstable interpersonal relationships and subsequently a fluctuating self- image. One of the symptoms they exhibit is non-suicidal self-mutilation. Studies have shown that 2% of the common population has borderline personality disorder, most of them women. Clinical studies reveal that many patients have undergone sustained sexual, or mental and/or physical abuse in childhood. The earlier the abuse took place, the more serious the condition. A possible reason is that long-term mental and physical pressure brought about by sustained abuse inflicts widespread damage on the brain, wreaking havoc on the emotional control mechanisms in the patient’s not yet fully developed brain. Painful childhood experiences leave a permanent mark. Worse still, the impact of these experiences tricks the brain into thinking they are important signals, so it keeps bringing up these memories automatically. It tortures the sufferers who, having to cope with the frequent appearance of these painful experiences, may, among other things, inflict physical pain on themselves to distract themselves. The most commonly seen self-mutilating behaviour is the slashing of the arms until blood runs. Dialectic behaviour therapy is used to treat borderline personality disorder. It uses emotional adjustment methods in mindfulness therapy to guide the patient towards acceptance, raise their distress tolerance levels, and enable them to learn different ways of controlling their emotions. It has a lot in common with the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism. Professor Leung explained that the first three ‘right view, right intention, right speech’ refer to the correction of wrong perception, erroneous thoughts and labelling of concepts. ‘Right action, right livelihood’ refer to changes in one’s work and lifestyle habits. The last ‘right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration’ refer to the practice and guidance of one’s thoughts, and focus on one’s heart and mind. ‘If Buddhism was the earliest psychology in the history of human civilization, then the Noble Eightfold Path is the earliest cognitive behaviour therapy,’ observed Professor Leung.