title: Change in reflective functioning during psychotherapy--a single-case study.
abstract: It has been suggested that deficits in mentalization are a core problem of borderline personality disorder and that enhancement of mentalization represents a central mechanism of change in psychotherapy with this group of patients. The present single-case study investigates changes in mentalization measured by the Reflective Functioning Scale on the Adult Attachment Interview and its relationship with clinical measures of psychopathology during a long-term psychotherapy. The usefulness of evaluating RF along three subdimensions, the object, content and process of RF, is underlined. Furthermore, it is argued that there is a complex interaction between RF and symptomatology that becomes evident when evaluating RF along the different subdimensions. Areas for future research clarifying the relationship between mentalization, psychotherapy and psychopathology are suggested.
authors.affiliation: University of Oslo, Department of Psychology, Oslo, Norway. f.s.gullestad@psykologi.uio.no
authors.forename: Frida Slagstad
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Gullestad
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilberg
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008134:Long-Term Care; D009769:Object Attachment; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011340:Problem Solving; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods; D056345:Theory of Mind