Ambivalence Resolution in Meaning Reconstruction Grief Therapy: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Grief Counseling

Background:

• Ambivalence in psychotherapy involves a conflict between pro-change and pro-status quo motivations.
• Two resolution processes identified: dominance (imposing change) and negotiation (dialogue between motivations).
• Previous research explored these processes in major depressive disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate ambivalence resolution processes in clients with complicated grief.
• To compare resolution patterns in recovered versus unchanged cases.
• To examine temporal changes in dominance and negotiation during therapy.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory study design.
• Sample of clients diagnosed with complicated grief.
• Analysis of ambivalence resolution strategies (dominance and negotiation) over therapy sessions.

Main Results:

• Recovered cases showed increasing negotiation and decreasing dominance from early to mid-therapy.
• Recovered cases showed decreasing negotiation and increasing dominance from mid to late therapy.
• Unchanged cases consistently exhibited high dominance and low negotiation.

Conclusions:

• Ambivalence resolution patterns differ between recovered and unchanged complicated grief cases.
• Therapeutic progression in complicated grief involves a shift from dominance to negotiation and back.
• Findings partially diverge from those in major depressive disorder, suggesting condition-specific resolution pathways.