Defensive mechanisms and personality structure in an early adolescent boy: process and outcome issues in a non-intensive psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy.
Authors: Di Riso Daniela , Gennaro Alessandro , Chessa Daphne 
Published: December 2015

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US">The main aim of this paper is to empirically assess <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">d</span></span>efenses mechanism trends (process) and personality structure (outcome) in an audio-recorded non-intensive psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy with an early adolescent <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">boy, Gabriele. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #0a0905; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: #0a0905; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" lang="EN-US">Defensive mechanisms were evaluated through the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale (DMRS, Perry 1990), assessment and outcome measure included the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure for Adolescents (SWAP-200-A, Westen, Dutra, &amp; Shedler, 2005). </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #0a0905; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: #0a0905; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" lang="EN-US">The paper focused on 12 sessions divided into three periods, SWAP-200-A were scored at the assessment and outcome phases while all the sessions were evaluated according DMRS. Quantitative and narrative profiles of SWAP-200-A and DMRS were integrated, a log linear procedure was chosen to assess defensive mechanisms trends longitudinally during the treatment. Moreover a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA, Benzecri, 1973a) was applied to DMRS to </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;" lang="EN-GB">provides a map of the evolution of the patterns of defense mechanisms throughout the course of psychotherapy.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #0a0905; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: #0a0905; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" lang="EN-US">Personality assessment and defensive mechanisms showed an inhibited self-critical image with obsessive, narcissistic and disavowal patterns. According to trends during treatment phases these defensive patterns decreased while mature defenses increased significantly. MCA analysis </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US">identified also this trajectory. <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US">The study highlighted how non intensive psychoanalytic oriented treatment might by effective in treating internalizing disorders, and specifically discussed outcome and process issues in terms of personality structural changes and defense mechanisms with empirically based measures. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;</span></span></p>