Introjective and anaclitic psychopathology in self-narratives: Idiographic assessment with Hermans’ Self-Confrontation Method

Abstract

Within a hybrid framework of attachment and depression theory, we investigated whether introjective and anaclitic vulnerabilities can be detected in a person’s self-narrative as elicited with the Self-Confrontation Method (SCM). One hundred participants held a thorough self-investigation with one of five trainees, in which every person formulated ‘valuations’ (i.e., short sentences about personally relevant concerns) and, subsequently, rated to what degree certain feelings were evoked by every separate text. We extracted several measures from these idiographic data, including scales representing the prominence of certain themes according to the SCM typology (e.g., ‘unfulfilled longing and loss’, ‘anger and opposition’, and ‘powerlessness and isolation’). By analyzing the correlational patterns of the aggregated SCM-based measures and the questionnaire-based measures about attachment orientation and depressive personality vulnerability, we uncovered meaningful relationships. The results of a canonical correlational analysis indicated that an intensified sense of ‘powerlessness and isolation’ is a sign of a general psychopathological vulnerability (related to depression), ‘anger and opposition’ is associated with introjective features (distrust in others and need for control), and ‘unfulfilled longing and loss’ is associated with anaclitic features (pleasing and dependency). In an exploratory qualitative study, we used a cluster-based classification into attachment groups for the exhaustive screening of the content of negative valuations of (a selection of) insecurely attached persons (n = 15). This hermeneutic approach disclosed characteristic themes for each of the preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant and fearful-avoidant attachment styles which are discussed in great detail.

Idiographic assessment of attachment relationships: Construction and validation of scales for use in narrative psychotherapy

“…Clients with a dismissing attachment style seem to benefit more from working with a therapist who adopts hyperactivating strategies, which means that psychotherapy should be aimed at connecting more deeply to others and the expression of intimate feelings (Wallin, 2007). Disorganized clients can be recognized by their lapses in reasoning and discourse (Wallin, 2007), they experience more emotional turmoil than preoccupied or dismissing clients do and display an incoherent mix of neediness, detachment and dissociation (Van Geel et al, 2019). According to Mikulincer and Shaver (2007), the origin of disorganized attachment lies in traumatic early childhood experiences.…”

“…The purpose of the SCM is to stimulate self-examination inducing the client to detect affective patterns and themes in his/her story that reflect two 'latent' basic motives: (a) the (agentic) striving for self-enhancement, and (b) the (communal) striving for contact and union; the agentic and communal orientations are outlined in a variety of theories and approaches in psychology (Van Geel et al, 2019). In contrast, we envisage an idiographic method that fosters selfexamination concerning the primary and secondary attachment strategies, which are being expressed in the (attachment) components of the sentences a person formulates about his/her relationships.…”

“…In general, the SCM-counselor should be attentive to the possible 'one-sidedness' of the self-narrative as a whole because this may indicate dysfunction. Hermans and Hermans-Jansen (1995) assume that for an optimal psychological functioning the fulfillment of both motivations is required, and that, correspondingly, psychopathology/dysfunction is (typically) the result of an imbalance between the desire for intimacy and that for autonomy (For a more elaborate discussion on how psychopathological aspects of SCM self-narratives can be conceptualized -supplemented with case illustrations, see Van Geel, 2000;and Van Geel et al, 2019). Likewise, for a psychotherapist adopting an attachment-based idiographic method, it is just as important to be attentive to the one-sidedness of a person's social world (i.e., an imbalance between the primary and secondary attachment strategies) as it may reveal a predominant attachment orientation and dysfunctional aspects of the attachment system.…”

“…In the SCM a person is invited to construct 'valuations' (i.e., sentences that reflect important experiences), for example, "Due to our preoccupation with our sick daughter, our son was rather neglected" (Hermans & Hermans-Jansen, 1995, p. 89) or "I consider it important to constantly learn new things, to be challenged intellectually, to be mentally on the move" (Van Geel. 2000, p. 8) (For other examples, see : Hermans & Hermans-Jansen, 1995;Van Geel, 2000;Van Geel et al, 2019). The purpose of the SCM dialogue is to capture a number of topics with which the person is structuring his/her world and, subsequently, to detect affective patterns and themes in the texts that reflect two (latent) basic motives: (a) the striving for self-enhancement, and (b) the striving for contact and union.…”

“…Feelings such as joy and happiness belong to the Positive (P) affect scale, whereas feelings such as worry and unhappiness cover the Negative (N) affective domain. For every single valuation a client is rating the intensity of these affects on a 0-5 point scale (usually with the aid of a computer program), yielding characteristic "affect profiles" (For a more elaborate description of the SCM-typology, see Van Geel et al, 2019).…”