Study of Personality - Research Paper Example

The Study of Personality and Psychoanalytic Treatment Here s Here The Study of Personality and Psychoanalytic Treatment In his discussion about personality theories, Berecz (2009) identifies several approaches to studying personality. He arranges these theories in various “zones” of application. The oft-maligned psychoanalytic approach is placed in the “Insight” zone, signifying the inward focus of psychoanalysis and the important role of introspection in related therapies. Psychoanalysis is still a very useful tool for studying personality and treating several psychological disorders.

We will discuss a recent study that examines the efficacy of the psychoanalytic approach in treating panic disorders as an indicator of the usefulness of psychoanalysis in studying personality (as mental disorders are certainly an influencer of personality).Introduction Milrod et al. (2007) begin their study by offering literature that supports the damaging effects of panic disorder and the need to address the condition. Treatments like pharmaceuticals and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have been shown to be effective treatment options for panic disorder, but few alternative approaches have been reliably studied.

The authors hypothesize that psychoanalytic psychotherapy will be more effective at treating panic disorder than a behavioral option known as applied relaxation training. Additionally, the motivation for this study is described as being partly due to a lack of experimental testing of psychoanalytic methods despite their common clinical usage.Method This study included 26 total subjects with DSM-IV diagnosed panic disorders, half of which were randomly assigned to the control group (relaxation training) and half to the experimental group (psychoanalytic therapy).

The dependent variable was measured on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. Additional psychological scales were used, and trained independent evaluators administered all tests. Both treatments (psychoanalytic and relaxation) were implemented in 12 weeks of bi-weekly sessions. Eight therapists administered the psychotherapeutic sessions while six were responsible for relaxation training. Demographic and clinical characteristics of groups were compared using t-tests, chi square tests, and Fisher’s exact tests.

Results and Discussion The analysis reveals a significant effect of the psychoanalytic treatment in comparison to applied relaxation training. The experimental group also showed improved functioning and reduced indicators of depression. These findings show that psychodynamic psychotherapy is an efficient treatment for panic disorders. This supports the authors’ predictions and offers support for the use of this type of treatment for panic disorder in clinical environments. Additionally, it was found that the psychoanalytic group had a lower rate of attrition.

It is suggested that this difference may reflect an improved response to the treatment. The strengths of this experiment include the great care that was taken in balancing therapists and subjects by several factors in an attempt to account for compounds and biases. Unfortunately, the study suffers from a very small sample, and will require further experiments for the results to be sufficiently qualified This research displays the efficacy of psychoanalytic theory in treating psychological disorders.

The results support the continuing use of this approach in developing treatments for various disorders, and should spawn several other tests of efficacy. Accordingly, we may conclude that the psychoanalytic approach is still a valid method for the study of personality through the elucidation and treatment of psychological disorders. ReferencesBerecz, J. M. (2009). Theories of Personality: A Zonal Perspective. Pearson Allyn, & Bacon.Milrod, B., Leon, A. C., Busch, F., Rudden, M., Schwalberg, M.

, Clarkin, J., … Shear, K. (2007). A randomized controlled clinical trial of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for panic disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 265-272.