Document Type
Article
Publication Date
February 2003
Journal or Book Title
American Journal of Psychotherapy
Volume
57
Issue
2
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate attributes of mental representations of therapists by patients with specific personality disorders (PDs), schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), and obsessive-compulsive (OCPD), and a comparison group with Major Depressive Disorder and no PD (MDD). The Therapist Representation Inventory-II (TRI) measured characteristics of participants' extra-session thoughts about their therapists. Results showed that patients with STPD had the highest level of mental involvement with therapy outside the session, missing their therapists and wishing for friendship, while also feeling aggressive or negative. Patients with BPD exhibited the most difficulty in creating a benign image of the therapist. Variables such as gender, co-occurring Axis I disorders, and amount of individual psychotherapy received were significant covariates for a number of analyses. The importance of understanding the internal dynamics of patients' thoughts about their treatment relationship was underscored.
Recommended Citation
Bender, D. S., Farber, B. A., Sanislow, C. A., Dyck, I. R., Geller, J. D., & Skodol, A. E. (2003). Representations of therapists by patients with personality disorders. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 57(2), 219-236.
Included in
Behavioral Disciplines and Activities Commons, Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Psychiatry Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons