Saying the right thing at the right time: a view through the lens of the analytic process scales (APS).
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.
Waldron
Sherwood
S
woodywald@earthlink.net
Scharf
Robert
R
Crouse
James
J
Firestein
Stephen K
SK
Burton
Anna
A
Hurst
David
D
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