Predicting Patient Investment Into Psychotherapy Psychotherapy Investment

Prediction Patient Investment in Psychotherapy

Predicting Patient Investment into Psychotherapy

The factors that cause an individual to terminate psychotherapy have been of interest since this form of therapy was developed. Some researchers and theorists have argued that the need to relieve personal isolation and habits of dependency may motivate patients to remain in psychotherapy (reviewed by Ackerman, Hilsenroth, Clemence, Weatherill, and Fowler, 2000, p. 387). This does not imply that patients who remain in psychotherapy are docile though. Quite the contrary, studies have shown that these patients are often aggressive, contrary, have turbulent negative emotions, and high levels of interpersonal distress.

The research data that produced the above findings were based primarily on Rorschach examinations. Whether these findings would be validated by non-Rorschach instruments is unknown. Towards this goal, Ackerman and colleagues (2000) examined the utility of the Westen's...

These results were compared to the Westen's Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS).
The sample (N = 76) was drawn from case files archived at a university outpatient community clinic. Only those with Rorschach data in their records and a DSM-IV personality disorder were included in the study.

Results

The eight variables examined by the SCORS instrument are complexity of representation (COM), affective quality of representation (AFT), emotional investment in relationships (EIR), emotional investment in morals and moral standards (EIM), understanding of social causality (SC), experience and management of aggressive impulses (AGG), self-esteem (SE), and identity and coherence of self (ICS).…