title: Psychic structure: exploring an empirically still unknown territory.
abstract: The Scales of Psychological Capacities (SPC) were developed to gauge structural change, the mode-specific effect of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapies. In this study, as a first step, basic psychometric properties that assess psychic structure were examined. Construct validity was investigated as predictive validity in a known-groups approach. Two predictions were formulated: (1) there are differences in psychic structure between borderline patients, depressive patients, and healthy controls that are verified by the SPC, and (2) borderline patients show inconsistent and divergent self- and object representations most frequently, followed by depressive patients and, finally, by healthy controls, a fact reflected by the SPC. These scales were applied to a sample of 33 borderline patients, 36 depressed women, and 36 healthy controls. Both predictions were confirmed. Thus, empirical evidence is provided of the SPC being a valid measure for assessing psychic structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Clinic of Harlaching, Municipal Hospitals, Ltd. psychosomatik_klug@khmh.de
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klug
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009769:Object Attachment; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult