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Objectivity in psychoanalytic judgements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

R. Peter Hobson ,
Matthew P. H. Patrick  and
John D. Valentine
R. Peter Hobson*
Affiliation:
Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Tavistock Clinic and University College, London
Matthew P. H. Patrick
Affiliation:
Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Tavistock Clinic and University College, London
John D. Valentine
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey
*
Prof R. Peter Hobson. Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Adult Department, Tavistock Clinic, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA
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Abstract

Background

There is widespread scepticism concerning the reliability and validity of psychoanalytic judgements of patient–therapist transactions. We predicted that (a) in reviewing the initial part of 14 videotaped assessment interviews with borderline and dysthymic subjects, dynamic psychotherapists would agree in their ratings of psychoanalytically relevant characteristics of subjects' interpersonal relations; (b) inter-correlations among the ratings would conform with those expected from psychoanalytic descriptions of ‘paranoid-schizoid’ and ‘depressive position’ states of mind; and (c) these ratings would differentiate between borderline and dysthymic groups.

Method

Six trained psychotherapists who were blind to the design of the study, independently rated qualities of interpersonal relatedness during the first 30 minutes of each interview, on & 30-item ‘personal relatedness profile’

Results

There was satisfactory interrater reliability in judgements among the raters, and evidence that the items were interrelated. There was also & significant difference between the two subject groups.

Conclusions

It is possible to make reliable psychoanalytic judgements about qualities of interpersonal relatedness. Moreover, there is evidence that paranoid–schizoid and depressive positive aspects of psychological functioning do constitute & meaningful constellation of clinically grounded phenomena.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 173 , Issue 2 , August 1998 , pp. 172 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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