[Changes in the internal object world in an obsessive-compulsive patient during 3 years ambulatory psychotherapy. A...

The significance of the repertory-grid technique, which is based on Kelly's theory of personal constructs for the analysis of course and change of behavioral abnormalities, is assessed in a case report on the psychotherapy of an obsessive compulsive patient. The method delineates judgements regarding herself, significant other persons, and disease conceptualizations. This idiographic method, situated between empirical and hermeneutic techniques, is particularly valuable for the detection of psychotherapeutic changes. Traditional procedures that aim at invariance of values can be lacking in sensitivity. The repertory grid follows the individual's own constructs and idiosyncratic views. This obviates doubts on the relevance of terms and factorial dimensions for the proband. In this case, study of the combination of the idiographic grid technique and nomothetic questionnaires was useful for validation and interpretation of findings. The dimensions of the individual grid test are not covered by questionnaires and belong to a different level of cognitive processes.