DOCSLIB.ORG

Psychodynamic Approaches to Treating Antagonism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Psychodynamic Approaches to Treating Antagonism Psychodynamic Approaches to Treating Antagonism Christopher J. Hopwood, University of California, Davis Robert F. Bornstein, Adelphi University For D. Lynam and J. Miller (Eds.) Antagonism as a Personality Trait. Elsevier. Psychodynamic Treatment of Antagonism 2 Although trait and psychodynamic approaches to personality have taken adversarial positions at times (e.g, McWilliams, 2012), we see them as complementary (Wiggins, 2003). Trait psychology supplements complex psychodynamic theories with an evidence-based model of individual differences that can be used to generate reliable assessment methods useful for testing dynamic hypotheses about personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. Psychodynamic theories enrich descriptive trait approaches, enhance their clinical utility, provide a coherent framework for interpreting multimethod assessment data, and generate testable hypotheses about mechanisms underlying personality processes (see Hopwood & Bornstein, 2014; Hopwood, Zimmermann, Pincus, & Krueger, 2015). In this chapter we take a step toward integrating these complementary theoretical perspectives with respect to assessing and treating antagonism. We first describe similarities and differences between trait and psychodynamic conceptualizations of antagonism, with a focus on the specific features of the psychodynamic perspective that can augment a trait perspective. We then illustrate these features in describing principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy for antagonism. Trait and Psychodynamic Models of Personality The primary method for discerning the organization of different elements of personality from a trait perspective has involved some form of covariance analysis (e.g., factor analysis). This method assumes that there are linear relations among different attributes that can be parsimoniously summarized in terms of associations with relatively broad concepts. For instance, a relative consensus has emerged among personality psychologists that personality traits can be summarized, at a broad level of abstraction, in terms of five factors (John & Srivastava, 1999). Antagonism can be regarded as one pole of one of those five factors (the other pole being Agreeableness). The large body of literature showing similar structural models based on other types of data and analytic methods (Harkness, Reynolds, & Lilienfeld, 2017) supports Psychodynamic Treatment of Antagonism 3 the use of covariance modeling to identify and organize personality units into a coherent structure. In these sorts of models traits such as antagonism are regarded as dimensional, in the sense that individuals do not “have” (or “not have”) particular traits, but rather all individuals can be ranked according to their standing on a given trait dimension. Maladaptive functioning is generally albeit imperfectly associated with extreme levels of these traits, as when, for example, too much—or too little—extraversion leads to interpersonal difficulties (see Williams & Simms, 2018). Evidence in favor of the dimensionality principle comes from the finding that no personality trait or disorder has been found to be purely categorical in direct tests (Arntz et al., 2009) and that conceptualizing personality traits dimensionally increases their assessment reliability and validity (Markon, Chmielewski, & Miller, 2011). Covariance analyses of normal and maladaptive personality dimensions yields a hierarchical model with broad traits at the top and increasingly narrow traits at the bottom. Antagonism is a relatively broad trait that can be split into aspects involving the behavioral predispositions of rudeness and callousness (DeYoung, Quilty, & Peterson, 2007). These aspects can be further divided into more specific trait facets like immodesty, impoliteness, cruelty, and dishonesty. Conceptualizing traits hierarchically has two principle advantages. First, this allows for the empirical synthesis and integration of disparate trait models into an integrative whole. Second, hierarchies are clinically useful in that they provide a framework for clinicians to conceptualize patients’ personalities in terms of a level of specificity that suits the situation (Kotov et al., 2017). Although covariance analysis has played a less important role in the development of psychodynamic models of personality, there is nothing inherently incompatible between these approaches and psychodynamic thinking. There are also major dimensions of functioning in psychodynamic models of personality structure. For example, Kernberg (1984) suggested that individuals with PDs vary according to how organized their personality is and how extraverted Psychodynamic Treatment of Antagonism 4 they are. Within these broad dimensions are more specific features, like the defenses and object relational configurations that distinguish patients with better or poorer personality organization, or who are more or less extraverted. Although antagonism has not been posited as a major organizing dimension in psychodynamic models, it plays a role in the underlying dynamics of many PD subtypes, and can be integrated with psychodynamic thinking relatively easily. For instance, dependency and histrionic personality configurations typically involve low antagonism whereas psychopathic and narcissistic personality configurations involve relatively high antagonism. This is not to say that these configurations can be understood merely as low or high levels of this—or any—trait; psychodynamic theory has a lot to say about the dynamics of PDs beyond trait dispositions (see Lingiardi & McWilliams, 2017). Differences in emphasis notwithstanding, trait and psychodynamic models do share the assumption that a trait like antagonism is descriptive of such personalities at a relatively broad level of abstraction. Psychodynamic theory further assumes that underlying—often hidden—elements of a broad trait like antagonism will help distinguish individuals in a way that is empirically sound and clinically useful (e.g., reliance on more malignant vs. higher-level defenses). In this respect psychodynamic frameworks implicitly adopt a hierarchical model for conceptualizing people. This convergence provides a basis for integrating trait and psychodynamic models of antagonistic behavior. From both perspectives, people can be organized in terms of the general and specific features associated with antagonism, and this will have important prognostic and therapeutic implications. However, there are also some important ways in which psychodynamic theory differs from, and can enhance, a trait perspective on antagonism. Dynamics A wide range of psychodynamic conceptualizations of personality exist, and though all share an emphasis on unconscious processes and defensive self-deception, these models often have substantially different assumptions about origins, taxonomy, and treatment (Bornstein, 2003; Greenberg & Mitchell, 1983; Pine, 1990). Across different psychodynamic models, Psychodynamic Treatment of Antagonism 5 behavior is presumed to be determined in the sense that people are assumed to be perpetually trying to achieve something of which may might not be fully—or even partially—aware (Schafer, 1976). Whatever people are trying to do is always in reference to some object – people try to do something to, for, or with some other thing. That thing is typically another person, a representation of another person (real or imagined), or a non-person which nevertheless has some person-like qualities (e.g., can be loved or hated). Thus, personality from a psychodynamic perspective is understood in terms of dynamic patterns of self in relation to other (Luyten & Blatt, 2013; Kernberg, 1995). This connection between self and other is invariably colored by some affective experience. From a psychodynamic perspective, both self and other can have antagonistic qualities, but those qualities are understood in terms of what a person is trying to achieve with respect to some other (as opposed to a description of a general behavioral tendency). Interactions with important early caregivers provide a template for how future relationships may be expected to develop in terms of relatively stable configurations of self- other-affect. These internal working models (or scripts) help individuals navigate their social worlds and are thus generally helpful. Consistencies in such patterns reflect a general personality configuration, and symptoms arise when this configuration does not work in some manner (e.g., when the configuration leads to interpersonal conflict or intrapsychic distress). Figure 1 depicts four configurations that eventuate in different expressions of Antagonism, to illustrate how individual differences in personality configuration can be integrated with a trait perspective. The first is a sadistic prototype, in which the other is experienced as neglectful, which makes the person angry, who is cruel in response. This person differs from the prototypical psychopath, for whom others’ neglect represents an opportunity for poised manipulation. In contrast, the narcissistic prototype describes a person provoked by other’s expressions of dominance, who reacts with immodest behavior. Finally, the passive- aggressive person will tend to interpret others’ domineering behavior as both reflecting and Psychodynamic Treatment of Antagonism 6 reinforcing their own powerlessness, and react by subtly undermining the other’s authority. In both trait and psychodynamic models, these different personality prototypes can be distinguished by underlying dispositions,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Role of Therapist Activity in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
    ROLE OF THERAPIST ACTIVITY KATZMAN AND COUGHLIN The Role of Therapist Activity in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Jeff Katzman and Patricia Coughlin Abstract: The teaching of psychodynamic psychotherapy is a critical component of psychiatric residency training programs. The authors argue that encourag- ing our residents to become active while providing psychodynamic psycho- therapy is a skill that can be taught. By helping residents to understand how to actively help patients focus on their internal world, identify and work with the defenses, and develop and maintain a treatment alliance, psychodynamic educators can enable psychiatric residents to feel far more competent when working in this paradigm. Such a stance inevitably leads to greater excitement and enjoyment for trainees, as well as better outcomes for patients. A middle-aged man enters his therapy session with a deep sigh and palpable sense of resignation. He sits silently and looks imploringly at his therapist, who also remains silent. Finally, the patient begins to discuss his ongoing depression, seemingly intractable problems with his wife, and stress in the workplace. He asks his therapist what he can do to improve his life. Not wanting to provide advice, the therapist (who is also a PGY-3 resident) throws the question back to the patient. Throughout the session, the therapist maintains a passive stance, mir- roring the slumped posture and slow, hesitant speech demonstrated by her patient. Both sink into a kind of quiet despair. Although the therapist wants to help and is well versed in the theory behind psycho- dynamic psychotherapy, she has not been trained to intervene actively and effectively in a manner consistent with that theory.
    [Show full text]
  • The Founder of Common Factors: a Conversation with Saul Rosenzweig
    The Founder of Common Factors: A Conversation With Saul Rosenzweig Barry L. Duncan Nova Southeastern University In preparation for a commentary on Saul Rosenzweig’s classic 1936 paper, “Some Implicit Common Methods in Diverse Forms of Psychotherapy,” an amazing discovery was made: Saul Rosenzweig is not only alive but also still contributing to science and society at age 93. This article sets the stage for a conversation with the incredibly prolific Dr. Rosenzweig by tracing the im- pact of his seminal contribution on early common factors theorists. This review reveals Rosenzweig’s unrecognized but profound influence on lead- ing figures of not only common factors but also of psychotherapy itself. A conversation with Rosenzweig, the founder of common factors, is presented. This noted scholar and wise elder of psychology reflects on the evolution of his thinking from common factors to idiodynamics, and on topics ranging from his passion for literature to his 1965 Buick Skylark, from the history of psychotherapy to falling in love with ideas. There is no new thing under the sun.—Eccles. 1:9 A literature search in preparation for a commentary (Duncan, 2002) on Saul Rosenzweig’s 1936 classic article, “Some Implicit Common Factors in Diverse Methods of Psychotherapy,” uncovered puzzling findings. After the 1936 article, there seemed to be a great void—nothing from Rosenz- weig in follow-up to his incredibly prophetic article and not much of any- thing else about common factors until the middle 1950s. Trying to make sense of the nearly 20-year hiatus as well as the surprising lack of reference to Rosenzweig’s contribution by early common factor theorists, I pursued information about Rosenzweig’s career to find some explanation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of the Relationship with the Therapist
    Clinical Science Insights Volume 1 Volume Knowledge Families Count On The Importance of Before beginning psychotherapy, most patients wonder, “Will this counseling really help me with the Relationship my problems?” Research shows that many factors affect whether treatment is successful, including With the Therapist: the severity of the problem(s) being treated, the patient’s belief that the counseling will work and Research shows that the therapeutic the skill level of the therapist. relationship is one of the strongest However, research over the past fifty years has predictors of successful treatment demonstrated that one factor – more than any other – is associated with successful treatment: by Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, PhD the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the patient. In 1913, Sigmund Freud hypothesized that the relationship between the therapist and patient was a key component of successful treatment. Since that time, research has shown that the quality of this relationship (the “therapeutic alliance,” as it is called) is the strongest predictor of whether or not therapy is successful. Strikingly, the quality of the therapeutic relationship appears critical to treatment success no matter what type of treatment is studied. Large studies have been conducted of individual, couple and family therapy, using a variety of assessment T H E F a m i l y I N S T I T U T E methods to measure the quality of the relationship AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (i.e. patient or therapist reports or observational Our mission is to strengthen and heal families ratings). These studies, which used diverse from all walks of life through clinical service, patient groups (children and adults, in-patients community outreach, education and research.
    [Show full text]
  • The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance-Building Behaviors: Treatment Implications for Childhood Social Phobia" (2014)
    Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine DigitalCommons@PCOM PCOM Psychology Dissertations Student Dissertations, Theses and Papers 2014 The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance- Building Behaviors: Treatment Implications for Childhood Social Phobia William La Valle Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/psychology_dissertations Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation La Valle, William, "The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance-Building Behaviors: Treatment Implications for Childhood Social Phobia" (2014). PCOM Psychology Dissertations. Paper 287. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Dissertations, Theses and Papers at DigitalCommons@PCOM. It has been accepted for inclusion in PCOM Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@PCOM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Department of Psychology THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP AND ALLIANCE-BUILDING BEHAVIORS: TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILDHOOD SOCIAL PHOBIA William La Valle Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Psychology April 2014 Committee Members' Signatures: Elizabeth A Gosch, PhD, ABPP, Chairperson Susan Panichelli Mindel, PhD Vanessa K Johnson, PhD Robert A DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP, Chair, Department of Psychology iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Gosch, for her dedication and commitment to this research project. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Panichelli Mindel and Dr. Johnson, for their commitment, time, and feedback throughout the process. This project also would not have been possible without the support and patience of my wife, Amber, and my parents. Thank you for everything.
    [Show full text]
  • Transference and Countertransference and the Trauma Triangle: Ethics 3 Hours
    TRANSFERENCE AND COUNTERTRANSFERENCE AND THE TRAUMA TRIANGLE: ETHICS 3 HOURS ROSALIE W. HYDE LCSW FACULTY CO-FOUNDER THE HOUSTON GALVESTON TRAUMA INSITUTE PRIVATE PRACTICE 3100 RICHMOND Ave #110 Houston Texas 77098 713-960-8450 [email protected] SUPERVISOR/TEXAS SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE CONSULTATION: INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP “EASIER SAID THAN DONE” Boundaries are the limits that allow for a safe connection based on the client’s needs. The law and our professional Codes of Ethics by themselves cannot address most of the situations encountered by therapists and their clients in the difficult work of psychotherapy with traumatized people. The law and code are both narrative and literal and the real territory of ethics is ruled by more implicit boundaries, which prohibit actions that betray the client and the therapist. This unchartered territory is the dangerous ground of the therapy relationship, and in which we must steady our course to make rational, relational decisions to protect the client, the relationship and ourselves. THE TRAUMA TRIANGLE VICTIM PERPETRATOR WITNESS/ RESCUER COLLUDING OR POWERLESS TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES Psychological trauma can be anything that is too much for the person to manage emotionally. There are a variety of life events that are traumatic to a person, including some experiences that for one person may be overwhelming and not overwhelming to another. For Example: SEXUAL ABUSE PHYSICAL ABUSE/BATTERING RAPE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION NEGLECT EXPERIENCE OF BEING OVER-CONTROLLED OR MONITORED EXPERIENCE OF BEING CRITICIZED OR BLAMED WITNESS TO ABUSE OF ANY KIND TO ANOTHER TORTURE/IMPRISONMENT POVERTY/HUNGER WAR/COMBAT TRAUMA EARLY LOSS OF A PARENT LOSS OF A CHILD OR SIBLING DISABILITY/ CHRONIC ILLNESS IN A PARENT / SIBLING CHRONIC ILLNESS, REPEATED HOSPITALIZATIONS, TERMINAL ILLNESS ACCIDENTS: AUTO, FIRE, MANUFACTURING, ETC.
    [Show full text]
  • The Therapeutic Relationship As the Cornerstone of the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy
    -2- The Therapeutic Relationship as the Cornerstone of the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy Volume 1 Submitted to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care November 1, 2017 The Controlled Act of Psychotherapy: Recommendations of the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council Volume 1 TABS Tab 1………………………………………………………...……Report Tab 2………………….…………….Alternative Clarification Document The Therapeutic Relationship as the Cornerstone of the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy Volume 1 Thomas Corcoran Thomas Corcoran Chair President 56 Wellesley St W., 56, rue Wellesley Ouest, 12th Floor 12e étage Toronto ON M5S 2S3 Toronto ON M5S 2S3 Tel (416) 326-1550 Tél (416) 326-1550 Fax (416) 326-1549 Téléc (416) 326-1549 Web site www.hprac.org Site web www.hprac.org E-mail Courriel [email protected] [email protected] November 1, 2017 The Honourable Eric Hoskins Minister of Health and Long-Term Care 10th Floor, Hepburn Block 80 Grosvenor Street Toronto ON M7A 2C4 Dear Minister, The Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) is pleased to present our report on the controlled act of psychotherapy. Our approach included completing literature, jurisdictional, and jurisprudence reviews. To meet the timeline outlined in your August 4, 2017, correspondence, HPRAC undertook a targeted stakeholder consultation with key informants who would be affected by the recommendations on the controlled act of psychotherapy. HPRAC relied on this information to formulate the following advice: 1. In relation to clarifying the controlled act of psychotherapy: HPRAC believes that the client’s perspective should guide the clarification of the controlled act. As such, the key element of the controlled act is the therapeutic relationship between the client and the provider.
    [Show full text]
  • How Fear and Anxiety in Response to Countertransference and Somatic Countertransference Impacted the Clinical Decision-Making Of
    Columbia College Chicago Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago Creative Arts Therapies Theses Thesis & Capstone Collection 8-10-2015 How Fear and Anxiety in Response to Countertransference and Somatic Countertransference Impacted the Clinical Decision-Making of a Dance/Movement Therapy Intern Chelsie Batko Columbia College Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/theses_dmt Part of the Dance Movement Therapy Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Batko, Chelsie, "How Fear and Anxiety in Response to Countertransference and Somatic Countertransference Impacted the Clinical Decision-Making of a Dance/Movement Therapy Intern" (2015). Creative Arts Therapies Theses. 55. https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/theses_dmt/55 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Thesis & Capstone Collection at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Creative Arts Therapies Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOW FEAR AND ANXIETY IN RESPONSE TO COUNTERTRANSFERENCE AND SOMATIC COUNTERTRANSFERENCE IMPACTED THE CLINICAL DECISION- MAKING OF A DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY INTERN Chelsie Batko Thesis submitted to the faculty of Columbia College Chicago in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Arts in Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling Department of Creative Arts Therapies August 2015 Committee: Susan Imus, MA, BC-DMT, LCPC, GL-CMA Chair, Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Laura Downey, MA, BC-DMT, LPC, GL-CMA Research Coordinator and Thesis Advisor Andrea Brown, BC-DMT, LCPC, NCC Reader Abstract This artistic inquiry self-study explored how fear and anxiety, in response to countertransference and somatic countertransference, impacted the clinical decision-making process of a dance/movement therapy intern.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Jungian Psychotherapy: the Therapeutic Relationship
    Introduction to Jungian Psychotherapy The unique relationship between patient and therapist is the main healing factor in psychotherapy. Following C.G.Jung’s pioneering views on the complexity of conscious and unconscious interactions in the therapy process, this book explains the Jungian approach to the therapeutic relationship and the treatment process. Introduction to Jungian Psychotherapy: The Therapeutic Relationship shows how taking a Jungian perspective can help deal with the complicated paradoxes of psychotherapy. David Sedgwick outlines a modern Jungian approach to psychotherapy, always with reference to the patient-therapist relationship itself. He considers and criticises key aspects of Jungian and other theoretical perspectives, synthesizing approaches and ideas from across the therapeutic spectrum. This meditation on Jungian therapy will be invaluable to both Jungian and non-Jungian students and practitioners. David Sedgwick is a Jungian analyst and clinical psychologist in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the author of The Wounded Healer: Countertransference from a Jungian Perspective (1994) and Jung and Searles: A Comparative Study (1993), and numerous articles and book reviews. Introduction to Jungian Psychotherapy: The Therapeutic Relationship David Sedgwick First published 2001 by Brunner-Routledge 27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Taylor & Francis Inc 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Brunner-Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004. © 2001 David Sedgwick All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Five Therapeutic Relationships
    The Five Therapeutic Relationships ARTEMIS S. ANTONIOU Private Practice, Athens, Greece TANIA G. BLOM Private Practice, Bristol, UK Abstract: Founded on research evidence, Clarkson declares that it is not any specific psychological counseling paradigm itself that is the quintessence of therapeutic effective- ness but the tangible therapeutic relationship between the therapist and client. Clarkson states that there are five types of relationships potentially present in the therapeutic encounter. These are (a) the working alliance, (b) the transference/countertransference relationship, (c) the developmentally needed/reparative relationship, (d) the person- to-person relationship, and (e) the transpersonal relationship. This case study presents the theoretical framework of the five relationships; it demonstrates how this was utilized in the clinical context with a male client referred to as Harry and what were for him the implications of the therapeutic relationship assisting him to overcome low self- esteem, childhood sexual abuse, and depression. Keywords: relational model; therapeutic relationship; working alliance; transferential/ countertransferential relationship; reparative/developmentally needed relationship; person-to-person relationship; transpersonal relationship 1 THEORETICAL AND RESEARCH BASIS Ever more research is discovering that exceeding every other aspect, it is the rela- tionship between therapist and client that ascertains the significance and the efficacy of the therapy (Bergin & Lambert, 1978; Hill, 1989; O’Malley, Suh, & Strupp, 1983). For Goldfried (1980), relationship is the keystone of all psychotherapy. Kahn’s (1991) teacher stated, “The relationship is the therapy.” The relationship between client and therapist was found to be one of the most prominent dynamics in the therapeutic out- come by Frank (1979) and Hynan (1981). The formulation of this case study is based on Clarkson’s (2003) five-relationships framework for psychotherapy integration.
    [Show full text]
  • Their Relation to Preferred Therapist Characteristics in Clinical Subjects
    Sex Ro1es, PsychoLogica]- Àdjustment, and Presenting Problems: Their Relation to Preferred Therapist Characteristics in Clinical Subjects by Cheryl B. Lankt ree À thesis presented to the University of Manitoba in partiaJ. fulfil-1ment of the requirements for the degree of Ðoctor of Ph i losophy in Ðepartment of PsychoLogy I.7í nn i peg , Manitoba (c) cheryl B. Lanktree, 1984 SEX ROLES, PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT, AND PRXSENTING PROBI,EMS: THEIR REI.ATION TO PREFERRED THERAPIST CHARACTERTSTICS IN CLINTCAL SUBJECTS BY CHERYL B. LANKTREE A thesis submitted to the Facu¡ty of Craduate Studies of the University of Manitoba ¡n part¡al fulf¡tlment of the requircments of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY @ v 1984 Permision has been granted to the LIBRARy OF THE UNMR- SITY OF MAN¡TOBA to lend or sell copies of this thesis. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this theiis and to tend or scll copies of the film, and UNIVERS¡TY MICROF¡LMS to publish an abstract of this thesis. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither, the thesis nor extensivc extracts from it may bc printed or other- wisc rcproduced without the author's written permission. ÀBSTRACT Despite the crucial roLe of the therapist-client relationship in therapeutic improvement/ the nature of client preferences and expectations upon entry into psychotherapy has yet to be fu1ly understood. MosÈ notabfy I the effects of subject gender, sex-role orientation, sex- role attitudes, presenting problems, and psychological adjustment on preferences for type and gender of therapist have been studied infrequently. Moreover ranalogue research has dominated this field, limiting the reLevance of such findings for cIinicaJ.
    [Show full text]
  • Therapists' Experiences of Psychodynamic Therapy
    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Therapists’ Experiences of Psychodynamic Therapy with and without Transference Interventions for Adolescents with Depression Maria Jones 1,* , Marit Råbu 1 , Jan Ivar Røssberg 2,3 and Randi Ulberg 3,4 1 Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Pb. 1094 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] 2 Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] 3 Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0407 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] 4 Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Diakonveien 12, 0370 Oslo, Norway * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +47-924-21-358 Received: 12 March 2020; Accepted: 23 June 2020; Published: 27 June 2020 Abstract: Psychodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for depression. However, a large number of adolescent patients with depression do not respond and/or drop out of therapy and little is known about what therapists actually do in therapy with adolescents. Thus, more research is needed to explore the various actions that therapists do in therapy, so that therapists can tailor their therapy more specifically to each individual adolescent. The present study aimed to investigate how the experience of psychotherapists differs between two treatment modes for adolescents with depression: psychodynamic psychotherapy with and without transference interventions. In-depth interviews were conducted with six therapists. The data, which were analyzed using thematic analysis, generated three key themes: (1) The therapists experienced that transference interventions are often useful in therapies with adolescents with depression, (2) therapies without transference interventions can be challenging for therapists, but still helpful for patients, and (3) the experience contributed to the deepening recognition of therapists that they always need to adapt their techniques to the particular patient.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 1 an Overview of Psychodynamic Couple Therapy
    From Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy¸ David and Jill Scharff, Eds. Karnac, 2014. Chapter 1 An Overview of Psychodynamic Couple Therapy David E. Scharff and Jill Savege Scharff Introduction Psychodynamic couple therapy is an application of psychoanalytic theory. It draws on the psychotherapist’s experience of dealing with relationships in individual, group, and family therapy. Psychodynamic couple therapists relate in depth and get firsthand exposure to couples’ defenses and anxieties, which they interpret to foster change. The most complete version of psychodynamic therapy is object relations couple therapy based on the use of transference and countertransference as central guidance mechanisms. Then the couple therapist is interpreting on the basis of emotional connection and not from a purely intellectual stance. Object relations couple therapy enables psychodynamic therapists to join with couples at the level of resonating unconscious processes to provide emotional holding and containment, with which the couple identifies. In this way they enhance the therapeutic potential of the couple. From inside shared experience, the object relations couple therapist interprets anxiety that has previously overwhelmed the couple, and so unblocks partners’ capacity for generative coupling. The Development of Couple Therapy Couple therapy developed predominantly from psychoanalysis in Great Britain and from family systems theory in the United States. At first the limitations of classical psychoanalytic theory and technique inhibited psychoanalysts from thinking about a couple as a treatment unit. In reaction to that inadequacy for dealing with more than one person at a time, family systems research developed. However, many of the early systems theorists were also analytically trained or had been analyzed, and so psychoanalysis had an influence on systems theory contributions to family therapy, and its extension to couple therapy in the United States (J.
    [Show full text]