An exploratory study of child molesters' relationship patterns using the core conflictual relationship theme method

Sheltered women's perceptions of their abusive marital relationship: Conflictual themes of dominance and submissiveness

The Core Conflictual Relationship Themes (CCRT) approach was applied in order to examine the conflictual nature of sheltered women's perceptions of their marital relationship following domestic violence in Israel. Thirty-six sheltered women and 89 community-based women were compared. The CCRT method was useful in revealing that battered women, when thinking retrospectively about their relationships with their abusive partners, are concerned with conflictual themes of dominance and submissiveness. The sheltered women reported a desire to be more dominant and less submissive in their relationships with their abusive spouse, despite being less dominant than they wished in practice. These findings help clarify the emotional conflicts that battered women may be dealing with after leaving an abusive relationship and imply that interventions should promote their empowerment.

Defense styles of pedophilic offenders

This pilot study investigated the defense styles of pedophile sexual offenders. Interviews with 20 pedophiles and 20 controls were scored using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales. Results showed that pedophiles had a significantly lower overall defensive functioning score than the controls. Pedophiles used significantly fewer obsessional-level defenses but more major image-distorting and action-level defenses. Results also suggested differences in the prevalence of individual defenses where pedophiles used more dissociation, displacement, denial, autistic fantasy, splitting of object, projective identification, acting out, and passive aggressive behavior but less intellectualization and rationalization.

Are relationship patterns with significant others reenacted with the therapist?: a study of early transference reactions

This study examines how patients' relationship patterns are reenacted with the therapist during the first sessions of psychotherapy. Forty (N = 40) outpatients treated with a Brief Psychodynamic Intervention were included in the study. Their narratives of relationship episodes with significant others (e.g., mother, father, romantic partner, colleagues) were compared with relationship episodes with their therapist using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method. The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme focuses on 3 aspects of patients' relationship narratives: what the patient wants from others or from self; how others react to his/her wish; and how the patient consequently reacts. Results showed that 60% of patients display similar relationship patterns with their therapist and with significant others. The patterns that were reenacted with the therapist were not the most pervasive ones but were similar to those found in relationship episodes involving parents or romantic partners. These findings provide some support for the clinical concept of repetition of internalized relational patterns with the therapist very early in psychotherapy. Clinical implications are discussed.

Research on the processes involved in treating sexual offenders

This article summarizes preliminary findings from a series of pilot studies on the processes involved in treating sexual offenders. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used on samples of 15 to 24 child molesters undergoing a prison-based cognitive-behavioral and relapse prevention treatment program. Results are presented and discussed in the form of 5 questions: (1) Are therapists just "technicians"? The offenders' point of view (2) Does confronting the therapist mean treatment resistance? (3) Are the therapists perceived as therapists, parents, or a bit of both? (4) Is the structure of the program important? The offenders' point of view and (5) Is a sense of mastery important in a prison setting? It is suggested that researchers investigate the processes underlying the treatment of offenders, especially the common factors which have been shown to have an effect on therapeutic outcome.

Interpersonal conflicts in borderline personality disorder: An exploratory study using the CCRT-LU

This exploratory study compared the relationship patterns of 12 patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with those of 11 patients without Axis II pathology using the newly developed CCRT-LU. Results showed that the most prevalent wishes of patients with BPD reflect both a desire and a fear of establishing relationships with significant others. Results also showed that BPDs felt dissatisfied and scared, and determined by others, dependent and weak in interpersonal situations. When comparing BPD and non-BPD subjects, results indicated that BPD subjects display fewer wishes to attend to others, perceive others as more loving and subjugating, more often feel dissatisfied and scared, and are less attacking than subjects without BPD.