title: Saying the right thing at the right time: a view through the lens of the analytic process scales (APS).
abstract: Skillful psychoanalytic technique presumably involves knowing what to say, and when and how to say it. Does skillful technique have a positive impact upon the patient? The study described in this article relied on ratings by experienced psychoanalysts using the Analytic Process Scales (APS), a research instrument for assessing recorded psychoanalyses, in order to examine analytic interventions and patient productivity (greater understanding, affective engagement in the analytic process, and so on). In three analytic cases, the authors found significant correlations between core analytic activities (e.g., interpretation of defenses, transference, and conflicts) and patient productivity immediately following the intervention, but only if it had been skillfully carried out. Findings were independently replicated by psychology interns.
authors.affiliation: woodywald@earthlink.net
authors.forename: Sherwood
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waldron
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crouse
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Firestein
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hurst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003379:Countertransference; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014167:Transference, Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome