This article aims at analyzing the relationship between intertextual and autobiographical memory in Georges Perec and Radu Cosaşu’s writings, revealing several of their characteristics, similarities and paradoxes. Starting from the assumption that almost every book Georges Perec ever wrote, carries the stamp of his struggle to construct a plural identity, and that for Cosaşu the identity “quest” is central, too, I intend to demonstrate that obliquity represents in both situations a key-concept. Moreover, when reading their childhood recollections, Georges Perec’s notes (...) on his journey to London or Radu Cosaşu’s account of his puzzling travel to Moscow in 1968, we notice that the strategy of the oblique glance gradually generates a sort of “industrial production” of screen-memories or rather the memory of a whole generation. Besides, we can envisage the possibility of understanding their exploration of the “infra-ordinary” as an occasion for reconsidering the various interplays between writing and remembering, intertextuality and imagination, or - as Perec puts it - between “space as inventory” and “space as invention”. (shrink)

IntroductionGeneralized Anxiety Disorder is a prevalent emotional disorder associated with increased dysfunctionality, which has a lasting impact on the individual’s quality of life. Besides medication, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy represents the golden standard psychotherapeutic approach for GAD, integrating multilevel techniques and various delivery formats that enable the development of tailored treatment protocols. The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of a standard CBT protocol targeting worries, dysfunctional beliefs, and intolerance of uncertainty with an integrative and multimodal CBT intervention augmented (...) with Virtual Reality.Materials and methodsThis study included 66 participants with moderate GAD symptoms that were randomized to the standard CBT group and the Integrative and Multimodal CBT augmented with VR group. The interventions comprised 10 weekly sessions conducted by trained CBT therapists, including cognitive restructuring, problem-solving, behavioral exposure, and relaxation techniques. Baseline and post-assessments were conducted with both groups. Primary outcome measures included the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Penn-State Worry Questionnaire to evaluate the severity of GAD symptoms and worries, respectively. Secondary outcomes involved the administration of Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale and Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire.ResultsBoth interventions determined statistically significant effects on both primary and secondary outcomes in the expected direction. However, CBTs was associated with higher effect sizes for anxiety and worries, in contrast to IM-VRCBT. Also, secondary analyses revealed positive correlations between changes in anxiety and worries level and the reduction of dysfunctional cognitive processes.ConclusionThis research emphasized the effectiveness of CBT interventions for treating adults with moderate GAD symptomatology. Specifically, both interventions were efficient for reducing anxiety symptomatology present at individuals with GAD. However, regarding cognitive dysfunctions like worries, the standard CBT protocol performed better, as compared to the IM-VRCBT. In addition, we conclude that VR could be integrated within CBT interventions in a single protocol for GAD treatment. (shrink)