Exploring the effects of the severity and constructive/destructive qualities of superego anxiety on mentalization in analytic and psychotherapy narrative

The author believes that the patient's ability to be reflective is a key element for insight-oriented therapy. Certain variables may either facilitate or inhibit the level of reflective-functioning. This study will explore the relationship between mentalization (Reflective-Functioning) and two aspects of superego functioning. Specifically, I will examine how the emotional intensity (i.e. the severity of the superego) and the cognitive properties (i.e. constructive/destructive dimensions of the superego) affect reflective-functioning. Josephs et al. (2004) have found that mentalization increases as the superego becomes milder (i.e. less severe) in a single subject. This current study will assess the generalizability of the Josephs et al. (2004) results by analyzing eighty verbatim therapy session transcripts from twenty different patients. Forty sessions were from improved patients, twenty sessions from early in treatment and twenty sessions from late in treatment. Forty sessions were from patients who did not improve, twenty sessions from early in treatment and twenty sessions from late in treatment.