Countertransference toward dependent (anaclitic) and self-critical (introjective) depressed patients : a qualitative study

Aim: In this study, we will investigate therapists’ countertransference reactions in clinical work with depressed patients by means of a qualitative analysis of supervision sessions. We draw on Blatt’s two-polarity model of personality development, allowing for a differentiation between two types of depression characterized by distinct interpersonal styles: an anaclitic type, driven by a strong tendency for interpersonal dependency, and an introjective type, organized around self-criticism (Luyten, 2017). Although Blatt asserted that these two personality styles are associated with unique transference and countertransference constellations in therapy (Blatt & Shahar, 2004), this has hardly been studied within an empirical context (Hennissen et al., 2018, in press). Method: A total of 8 supervision transcripts containing therapists’ case presentations of 4 anaclitic and 4 introjective patients will be analyzed by means of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). We will code for specific obstacles in clinical work as described by therapists and for utterances illustrating cognitive, affective or behavioral aspects of countertransference. Results: Therapists’ countertransference reactions toward anaclitic and introjective depressed patients will be described separately based on the selection of excerpts from their case presentations in supervision. Discussion: The results of the analyses will be discussed for both patient groups and compared subsequently. We will also discuss future research opportunities