[Cognitive therapy and psychoanalytical therapy of limited personalities: a critical consideration]

Comparative studies of psychoanalytical and cognitive approaches to psychotherapy for borderline personalities reveal not only convergences of opinion, particularly concerning the importance of the relationship with the therapist, but also noteworthy differences. Different types of cognitive therapy are to be distinguished by their highly structural nature and by the learning of cognitive capacity with a view to reducing the severity of emotional and behavioral disorders. The different types of analytical therapy attempt a reorganisation of the personality by referring to a complex psychopathological model, allowing an overview of mental functions and of transferral interaction, and attempt to modify them.