How are psychodynamic conflicts associated with personality functioning? A network analysis

Personality functioning and psychodynamic conflicts are central constructs in psychoanalytic theories of psychopathology as well as in many psychodynamic treatment models. Although there has been a longstanding conceptual discussion on how they relate to each other, empirical evidence on this question is still scarce. In this study, we explore the associations between psychodynamic conflicts and levels of structural integration (which can be used synonymously with personality functioning) by means of a partial correlation network analysis in a sample of N = 220 outpatients interviewed and rated according to Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2). We examined network centrality, bridge centrality, clustering, and network stability. The network analysis resulted in separate clusters for levels of structural integration and conflicts, supporting the assumption of distinct psychodynamic constructs. The greatest association between the two clusters was found between the individuation vs. dependency conflict (C1) and the structural capacity to attach to internal objects. In general, C1 showed significantly greater connections with structural dimensions compared to the other five OPD conflicts included. C1 was also more central in the network compared to most other conflicts, whereas the structural dimensions did not differ in centrality. All structural dimensions were found to be strongly interconnected. C1 showed exclusively negative edges to the other conflicts, suggesting that a profound C1 decreases the probability of other psychodynamic conflicts. We discuss clinical as well as conceptual implications of our findings for psychodynamic diagnosis and treatment.