This paper summarizes findings and clinical implications of research on attachment disorganization in diverse clinical groups. Disorganized/unresolved attachment is overrepresented in these groups compared to healthy control participants, but disorder specific characteristics of this attachment pattern are still poorly understood. The focus of this study was to explore defensive processes in participants whose narratives were classified as disorganized/unresolved using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Besides the predominance of disorganized attachment, clinical participants demonstrated more “segregated system material” especially in stories representing aloneness and more “Personal Experience material” compared to healthy individuals. Within the disorganized/ unresolved clinical individuals, BPD and PTSD patients showed the highest proportion of attachment disorganization and were less able to use other attachment-related defenses to maintain organized. Furthermore, PTSD patients were emotionally overwhelmed by the projective attachment scenes compared to the other clinical groups as indexed by an incapacity to complete sections of the AAP. BPD and addicted patients were characterized by a high degree of self-other boundary confusion. Depressive and schizophrenic patients showed a high overall defensive intensity to remain organized

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From a developmental and clinical point of view attachment theory and mentalization are closely connected and have become increasingly important to understand the origins of psychopathological development. However, very little is known about how exactly different inner working models of attachment are related to diverse mentalizing abilities and this is particularly true for adult populations - healthy as well as clinical populations. In the present study we investigated this relation with a sample of inpatients diagnosed with depression and a sample of healthy individuals. In an experimental setting the attachment system was activated using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Mentalization was assessed during activation and in comparison to a control condition using a modified version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). We expected that an activation of the attachment system i) diminishes the capacity to take another’s perspective in individuals with unresolved state of mind, ii) has no impact in individuals with secure attachment representation and iii) is dependent of clinical status in individuals with insecure (but organized) working models of attachment. Overall, these hypotheses were confirmed. However, the impact of clinical status on mentalization in insecure attachment has to be further explored. We summarize that attachment state of mind has a mediating influence on mentalization basically in such situations where the attachment system is activated

Psychodynamic therapy effectively reduces symptomatology by focusing on underlying (unconscious) processes instead of symptoms. Nevertheless, the exact interrelationship between psychodynamic constructs and psychopathology remains unclear. This study uses network analysis to explore these associations. We computed a cross‐sectional partial correlation network between psychodynamic constructs (i.e., personality functioning, interpersonal relations, and active and passive modes of intrapsychic conflicts according to the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics [OPD] system) and psychopathology (i.e., depression and somatization) in a naturalistic sample of 341 adults registering for psychodynamic outpatient therapy. We estimated node centrality, node predictability, and bridge symptoms and used community detection analysis. Bootstrap methods were applied to assess network stability. Psychodynamic constructs and psychopathology resulted in separate but connected clusters. Personality functioning emerged as the most influential node in the network and was bridging the clusters. The network was found to be highly stable, allowing reliable interpretations. The results offer important insights on how psychodynamic constructs relate to psychopathology, which can be used to inform treatment approaches. The findings suggest that personality functioning may be an important intervention target. However, future research is needed to include a broader range of diagnoses. In addition, longitudinal studies may clarify the direction of causality.

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