Changes in anaclitic–introjective personality dimensions, outcomes and psychoanalytic technique: a multi-case study

Werbart, Andrzej; Forsström, David

doi:10.1080/02668734.2014.964295

Cited by 19 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(43 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This consideration may explain the stability of Mr. F's and Ms. G's introjective and anaclitic dimensions over time. In particular, the former's introjective personality seems to present greater complexity in reaching a mature integration in latent mental structures (Werbart & Forsström, 2014) -and more so due to Schizoid traits. Consequently, Ms. G displays by and large a more promising prognosis, thanks to the Depressive High Functioning dimensions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing personality change with Blatt's anaclitic and introjective configurations and Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure profiles: two case studies in psychodynamic treatment

Oasi

Buonarrivo

Codazzi³

et al. 2017

ResPsy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A growing body of empirical and clinical research attests to the influence of personality features on the development, course and outcome of psychotherapy. Over the last four decades, Blatt adopted a psychoanalytic and cognitive developmental approach in developing a theoretically and empirically grounded two-configurations model of personality. The main aim of this study was to evaluate possible changes in anaclitic and introjective configurations – as measured by the Depressive Experience Questionnaire (DEQ) (Blatt, D’Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976) – set against simultaneous changes in personality profile measured by Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200). Two young patients, a man and a woman, characterized by different personality profiles – introjective and anaclitic, respectively – were assessed for one year in the context of a psychodynamic psychotherapy. A battery of instruments – Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders I and II, Defense Mechanism Rating Scale, DEQ and SWAP-200 – were administered at the beginning, during the assessment process, and after one year. Both patients displayed lower BDI-II scores, along with evident clinical progress. Defence profiles and Core Conflict Relationship Themes showed interesting developments, in keeping with the evolution of the psychotherapy process. Lastly, while DEQ profiles outlined substantial stability after one year, some important changes in SWAP-200 profiles – in particular with regard to Q factors – were observed. Although these findings should be considered as preliminary, these results appear to be consistent with the description of Self-criticism and Dependency as relatively stable personality dimensions. The potential influence of profile diversity – introjective vs anaclitic – on other key variables of the psychotherapy process is also discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing personality change with Blatt's anaclitic and introjective configurations and Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure profiles: two case studies in psychodynamic treatment

Oasi

Buonarrivo

Codazzi³

et al. 2017

ResPsy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The data were collected between 1997 and 2008 at intake, termination, and 2-year follow-up and included the following instruments: the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90; Derogatis, 1994), the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) Intrex Questionnaire (Benjamin, 1987), and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale (Antonovsky, 1987). The data were previously used in two studies of changes in anaclitic-introjective personality dimensions following psychoanalysis (Werbart and Forsström, 2014;Werbart and Levander, 2016). The present study is based on 14 patient interviews at termination and 12 patient interviews at 2-year follow-up (26 patient interviews in total).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most patients showed positive outcomes in terms of symptom reduction (SCL-90) and improved quality of life (SOC), and the proportion of patients showing clinically significant change was comparable to data presented by de Maat et al 2013, while changes in positive and negative self-concept (SASB) were more limited. For more detailed outcome data, see Werbart and Forsström (2014) and Werbart and Levander (2016).…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a quantitative multi-case study, Werbart and Forsström (2014) showed that both anaclitic and introjective patients in psychoanalysis maintained their characteristic personality style. However, all initially anaclitic patients and less than half of the initially introjective patients met the criterion of improved anaclitic-introjective balance post-treatment and/or follow-up.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Love, Work, and Striving for the Self in Balance: Anaclitic and Introjective Patients’ Experiences of Change in Psychoanalysis

2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the most famous quotations credited to Freud is that, when asked what he thought a psychologically healthy person should be able to do, he said: "to love and to work." A central goal in psychoanalytic treatment is to bring about changes in basic, mostly unconscious, mental structures. The aim of this study was to investigate, applying an inductive thematic analysis, the experiences anaclitic and introjective patients have had of change after psychoanalysis with regard to the domains Love and Relationships and Work and Achievements. Analyzing patient interviews, we identified a third domain of experienced changes, The Self, which refers to increased self-understanding, self-acceptance, and self-care rather than an improved dynamic balance between love and work. All patients experienced several positive changes in their lives during and after psychoanalysis. We also found distinctive patterns that appear to be closely linked to the patients' initial personality orientation with regard to relationships and achievements. Generally, the patients described symmetrical, but opposite, change processes within the two specific domains of Love and Work. For the anaclitic patients, this indicated a movement inward in the domain of Love (from an excessive preoccupation with issues of their relationship with others toward more distinct self-boundaries and increased agency) and outward in the domain of Work (from unenterprising toward becoming more outgoing and daring). For the introjective patients, this pointed to a reverse movement outward in the domain of Love (from an excessive preoccupation with issues of autonomy toward increased responsiveness to others and desire to be establish close, mutual relationships) and inward in the domain of Work (from an excessive orientation on achievements toward increased becoming more grounded in their own feelings, needs, and desires). In conclusion, patients in both groups have experienced a reduced preoccupation with issues related to their initially predominant personality dimension (relatedness or self-definition) and increased receptivity to needs typical for the complementary dimension. These changes seem to be mediated by changes in the domain of The Self. Our study suggests the clinical relevance of focusing the therapeutic work on fostering a better and more dynamic balance between love and work, relatedness, or self-definition.

show abstract

“…Such persons tend to have an anxious-preoccupied attachment style (Levy & Blatt, 1999) and show an intense fear of abandonment or rejection (Luthar & Blatt, 1993); they also tend to act in passive and submissive ways. They are usually emotionally naïve, distractible, easily affected by impressions, and focused on feelings (Werbart & Forsström, 2014). In contrast, individuals with predominantly introjective personality qualities are concerned with self-definition and differentiation, and strive to preserve a sense of autonomy, power, independence, and control.…”

Section: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations For A Psychodynamicallymentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of Sidney Blatt's two-polarities model to the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual

Lingiardi

McWilliams

Muzi

2017

ResPsy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article reviews the theoretical and empirical contributions of Blatt’s two-polarities model of personality development and psychopathology to the second edition of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM-2). First, we briefly provide an overview of the manual’s main features and describe the guiding principles of the revision process. We then discuss in more detail how Blatt’s model, which is focused on the dialectic interaction between anaclitic-introjective and relatedness vs self-definition dimensions in both normal and disrupted personality development, increases the PDM-2’s theoretical and empirical comprehensiveness and clinical utility, especially concerning the classification and assessment of personality and overall mental functioning in adult populations. Finally, we address the implications for the therapeutic process, showing how anaclitic and introjective patients may be differentially responsive to different psychodynamic techniques (e.g., supportive or expressive interventions). Taken together, these considerations demonstrate the importance of a more theory-driven and empirically informed diagnostic system that embraces, in accordance with Sidney Blatt’s empirically supported and psychoanalytically-oriented ideas, the complexities of human experience (both normal and pathological) and captures the subjective and underlying dynamics of psychological symptoms and syndromes.

show abstract

Changes in anaclitic–introjective personality dimensions, outcomes and psychoanalytic technique: a multi-case study

Cited by 19 publications

References 42 publications

Assessing personality change with Blatt's anaclitic and introjective configurations and Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure profiles: two case studies in psychodynamic treatment

Assessing personality change with Blatt's anaclitic and introjective configurations and Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure profiles: two case studies in psychodynamic treatment

Love, Work, and Striving for the Self in Balance: Anaclitic and Introjective Patients’ Experiences of Change in Psychoanalysis

The contribution of Sidney Blatt's two-polarities model to the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About