In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning
Mentalizing, conceived as the capacity to attribute intentional mental states as implicit or underlying behavior of an individual or others, has gained interest within psychodynamic clinical research due to its potential as a change mechanism. Variations and qualities of mentalization have been stud...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725739/full |
| _version_ | 1818672161406058496 |
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| author | Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino |
| author_facet | Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino |
| author_sort | Cecilia de la Cerda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mentalizing, conceived as the capacity to attribute intentional mental states as implicit or underlying behavior of an individual or others, has gained interest within psychodynamic clinical research due to its potential as a change mechanism. Variations and qualities of mentalization have been studied through reflective functioning (RF). But only few studies are analyzing it throughout the psychotherapeutic interaction, identifying its level for therapists and patients. In contrast, brief psychodynamic therapy has a long tradition for establishing a focus to be worked upon. Lately, a multischematic focus has arisen, considering both conflict and personality functioning focuses as key elements on successful psychotherapies. This study aimed to identify mentalizing manifestations of patients and therapists through change episodes of one successful brief psychodynamic therapy and establish the relationship between these mentalizing manifestations and the type and depth of the therapeutic focus being worked on (conflict or personality functioning). Only 37.5% of speaking turns were able to be coded with RF; 77% of these had moderate to high RF and 22% had low or failure RF. The patient had 91% of low or failure RF, while the therapist only had 9% of low or failure RF. As for moderate to high RF, patients had 39%, while therapists had 61%. The patient showed a similar number of low or failure RF interventions and moderate to high RF interventions in conflict episodes. Meanwhile, the therapist only performs moderate to high-level RF interventions. In episodes in which personality functioning is worked on, both patient and therapist show a greater presence of interventions of moderate to high levels of RF. Finally, mentalizing interactions and non-mentalizing interactions were found on segments with conflict, and only mentalizing interactions were found on personality functioning segments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T07:35:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-acae864cb91d4a4fb059e4624bfd8d51 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T07:35:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-acae864cb91d4a4fb059e4624bfd8d512022-12-21T21:58:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-09-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.725739725739In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality FunctioningCecilia de la Cerda0Cecilia de la Cerda1Cecilia de la Cerda2Paula Dagnino3Paula Dagnino4Paula Dagnino5Faculty of Social Science, Department of Mediations and Subjectivities, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, ChileMillennium Institute for Research on Depression and Personality, Santiago, ChileCenter for the Research on Psychotherapy – CIPSI, Santiago, ChileMillennium Institute for Research on Depression and Personality, Santiago, ChileCenter for the Research on Psychotherapy – CIPSI, Santiago, ChileFaculty of Psychology, Universidad San Sebastian, Santiago, ChileMentalizing, conceived as the capacity to attribute intentional mental states as implicit or underlying behavior of an individual or others, has gained interest within psychodynamic clinical research due to its potential as a change mechanism. Variations and qualities of mentalization have been studied through reflective functioning (RF). But only few studies are analyzing it throughout the psychotherapeutic interaction, identifying its level for therapists and patients. In contrast, brief psychodynamic therapy has a long tradition for establishing a focus to be worked upon. Lately, a multischematic focus has arisen, considering both conflict and personality functioning focuses as key elements on successful psychotherapies. This study aimed to identify mentalizing manifestations of patients and therapists through change episodes of one successful brief psychodynamic therapy and establish the relationship between these mentalizing manifestations and the type and depth of the therapeutic focus being worked on (conflict or personality functioning). Only 37.5% of speaking turns were able to be coded with RF; 77% of these had moderate to high RF and 22% had low or failure RF. The patient had 91% of low or failure RF, while the therapist only had 9% of low or failure RF. As for moderate to high RF, patients had 39%, while therapists had 61%. The patient showed a similar number of low or failure RF interventions and moderate to high RF interventions in conflict episodes. Meanwhile, the therapist only performs moderate to high-level RF interventions. In episodes in which personality functioning is worked on, both patient and therapist show a greater presence of interventions of moderate to high levels of RF. Finally, mentalizing interactions and non-mentalizing interactions were found on segments with conflict, and only mentalizing interactions were found on personality functioning segments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725739/fullsingle casetherapeutic focusreflective functioningpsychotherapy processepisodes of change |
| spellingShingle | Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Cecilia de la Cerda Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino Paula Dagnino In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning Frontiers in Psychology single case therapeutic focus reflective functioning psychotherapy process episodes of change |
| title | In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning |
| title_full | In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning |
| title_fullStr | In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning |
| title_full_unstemmed | In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning |
| title_short | In-Session Reflective Functioning: Relationship With the Presence and Depth of Work on Conflict or Personality Functioning |
| title_sort | in session reflective functioning relationship with the presence and depth of work on conflict or personality functioning |
| topic | single case therapeutic focus reflective functioning psychotherapy process episodes of change |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725739/full |
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