title: [The differentiation between identity crisis and identity diffusion and its impact on treatment].
abstract: The differentiation between an identity crisis, a transient phenomenon that usually results (after resolution) in a well-integrated identity with flexible and adaptive functioning, and an identity diffusion that is viewed as a basis for subsequent personality pathology, has a major impact on the selection of a treatment method. A new treatment method (Adolescent Identity Treatment, AIT), a modification of Transference Focused Psychotherapy, was developed to treat adolescents with identity diffusion in order to improve their relationships with friends, parents, and teachers and to help them acquire positive self-esteem, clarify life goals and establish a stable identity. In a case study we describe the basic approaches of AIT in assessment and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Personality Disorder Institut NY, Weil Medical College of Cornell University, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Foelsch
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Odom
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arena
authors.forename: Maya K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Krischer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmeck
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schlüter-Müller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004532:Ego; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D007063:Identity Crisis; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D014167:Transference, Psychology