Related Experiment Videos
Defense mechanisms and personality disorders
V Lingiardi1, C Lonati, F Delucchi
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|April 30, 1999
Summary
This study links specific defense mechanisms to personality disorders (PDs). Findings highlight the importance of evaluating psychological defenses in PD assessment and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Personality Disorders
Background:
- Defense mechanisms are crucial in psychodynamic research on personality disorders (PDs).
- Understanding the link between specific defenses and PDs is essential for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific DSM-IV personality disorders and defense mechanisms.
- To explore the role of defense mechanisms in the context of personality disorder assessment.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 50 adult outpatients undergoing personality assessment.
- Assessed personality disorders using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorder, version 2.0.
- Measured defense mechanisms with Perry's Defense Mechanism Rating Scale by trained clinicians (interrater reliability .61–.95).
Main Results:
- Confirmed a significant association between certain defense mechanisms and personality disorders.
- Identified specific patterns of defense mechanisms underlying different PDs.
- Defense mechanisms are integral to understanding and assessing personality disorders.
Conclusions:
- Defense mechanisms are empirically linked to personality disorders.
- Further attention to defense mechanisms is warranted in PD assessment and psychotherapeutic interventions.
- Findings support the integration of defense mechanism evaluation in clinical practice for PDs.